I saw a few people posting on Facebook about IRun4 so I went to check it out...and LOVED what I saw! This was started by a man named Tim Boyle who posted a picture for inspiration for his first 5K. One of his Facebook friends commented on the photo and told Tim that he could run for him anytime! This friend was diagnosed with bilateral hop dyspasia and was told he would never walk again. He also has down syndrome. (You can read more of his story here.) So Tim decided to dedicate all his runs to his friend Michael...and that's how this wonderful community began!
You can sign up and be matched with a special someone that can not run. What great motivation to run your runs for someone that can't! I knew immediately that I wanted to be a part of this movement!
It took a few weeks for me to be matched. I was so excited when I got the email saying I'd been matched with Molly!!!
Meet Molly and hear her story as told to me by her mom Lorene:
Molly is 8 years old (nine next month!) and will be in the 4th grade this fall. She was born with a congenital brain malformation called Polymicrogyria (PMG), which means that in some areas of her brain the gyria, or folds on the surface of her brain, are too small and there are way to many of them. This caused her to have severe epilepsy as an infant and all of that resulted in severe disabilities. Molly doesn't speak or walk and gets all nutrition through a feeding tube. BUT she is about the toughest kid I have ever known. She has survived when doctors thought she shouldn't. She struggles to make her body move the way she'd like it to but finds some freedom when soaking in her hot tub.
We live in Omaha, NE and Molly has 3 younger siblings. We also went to Disney World in June! Molly had a great time and was treated like a princess by the cast members, but the Orlando heat/humidity were hard for her to handle.
She LOVES school and attends a regular elementary classroom with the assistance of a nurse. She gets super bored during the summer so we are counting down the days until school starts up again! She enjoys watching movies, current favs are Cinderella and Brave, with Cinderella in the lead, and listening to music. She usually chooses a Top 40's radio station but has been on a Justin Beiber kick lately! Molly also loves trips to the mall and other indoor places where she can look around and watch the world without that pesky sunlight bothering her eyes! Thanks for running for my cutie!
I will say that running for Molly is amazing! Every time the run gets tough I think of Molly and how I am running for her. It always motivates me to keep going and not give up!
I have developed a soft spot for her sweet little face! I love telling her all about my runs! And I absolutely love it when her mom shares some of Molly's stories and parts of her day with me. She's an amazing little girl and I feel so blessed to run for her! And yesterday was her 9th birthday!!!
Training for my next race starts this weekend and I'm so excited to share the experience with Molly!
If you're interested in becoming an IRun4 runner or know someone who would benefit from being matched with a runner please contact IRun4 for more information.
QOTD: Are you interested in becoming an IRun4 runner?
