I am thrilled to share that I will be running the 2025 Chicago marathon in October alongside my best friend Toni for team “RUN FOR AUTISM” through Oar (Organization Run for Autism Research).
A little backstory to Toni and I’s friendship; we have been friends for 16 years. We met freshman year in high school, and little did we know that after I forced her to sign up for softball tryouts, our best memories wouldn’t be just those years on the field but memories that would continue for a lifetime. She is the person that encouraged me start running over a decade ago. She was by my side for my first 5k in 2014 all the way to my first full marathon this past May. Her encouragement made it even more special as I ran the marathon in memory of my nana who recently passed away, in the White Mountains which was one of our favorite places.
Toni and I are running this race in honor of Toni’s nephew David who was diagnosed at just 18 months old. What most people don’t know, is that no two people with Autism are alike. The spectrum of Autism is so large and complex to understand.
For David’s story, he was nonverbal and using a device called AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) to communicate since he was 2. Since then, he went from saying a couple words to then at 3.5 years old being able to communicate fully verbally and now is 6 years old in a kindergarten classroom. He loves cars, his little sister (who is his biggest advocate), and writing number 1 to 100.
David has made an amazing amount of progress at such a young age because his parents made sure to get him all the help he needed from day one even if that meant making sacrifices to their own day-to-day life.
I am so excited to share this opportunity with my best friend Toni! as you can imagine, this cause is incredibly close to her heart and anything that is close to her means everything to me, as I consider her my own chosen family.
I have decided to run to run with team “RUN FOR AUTISM” to raise money for other people like David in the world that land anywhere on the spectrum of Autism. Not only does this benefit people like David, but also the families and care takers. It’s extremely important for them to have the curriculum, guidance, and tools to support any Autism needs and OAR does just that.
It is important for me to raise awareness of Autism and ensure everyone in this world feels included even if their way of thinking is a little bit different.
I would be forever grateful for any support you can offer - through your donations, sharing this page with others, or simply cheering us on as we train over the next 20 weeks for our journey to Chicago.
Together, I know we can make an impactful difference.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story 😊
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