I’ll remember that moment forever because Kaden was by my side. My son, only 4-years-old at the time, met me in that last stretch of the race and crossed the finish line with me.
Kaden and I ran together a lot – it was a hobby we both enjoyed. We’d go up to 5 miles together, and if he wasn’t running, he’d be alongside me on his bike while I ran.
I was an avid runner until 2014 when my whole world came crashing down. Kaden died unexpectedly when he was just 10-years-old. He got sick with what we thought was the flu, but 31 hours later he became an angel.
Kaden died from viral myocarditis, a disease marked by inflammation and damage to the heart muscle.
I stopped running.
I had too many other things to care about – like my family, my daughter, who was almost 7-years-old had just lost her brother. I just couldn’t see how I could commit the time to training for long-distance races.
But I was stuck in a rut that I couldn’t escape from. I was putting on as happy of a face as I could muster, but I wasn’t happy. I needed to run to care for myself.
Running became my form of therapy.
I talk to Kaden when I run. He was my biggest cheerleader, and still is. Running makes me feel close to him – like he’s still right alongside me.
I haven’t run the Fox Cities Marathon since that race in 2008, but this year I’ll be back, and I have my sights set on a big goal: qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
Running has brought me joy and has helped me heal, and I know I won’t be crossing the finish line in September alone.
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