Yes, I did say easy marathon! Really, there is such a thing! It’s the #MiracleMarathon and anyone can participate! If I can do it, YOU can do it! And, it’s all to help the kids!
What is it?
The Miracle Marathon is a 27-day virtual fundraising campaign in which participants run/walk (or achieve forward motion of any kind!) one mile per day at their leisure. The first 26 days are completed at your own pace—wherever and whenever you want. On Day 27, the final 1.2 miles will be started as a group at 2:27 pm EST.
It’s a marathon, plus a mile, for the kids!
It doesn’t get better or easier than that– perfect for those of us (like me) who like the idea of completing a marathon but would rather not complete all the miles at once! 😉
Will you join my team?
I’d love to have you JOIN ME and register for Team Mom Endeavors, specifically in support of Phoenix Children’s Hospital or another Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Tell your friends too! It’s a GREAT excuse to stay active daily this fall while supporting a great cause. You can choose the free limited registration. But, if you register as a Miracle Maker you’ll receive fun swag and you can use my special code MIRACLESARA to get 10% off registration.
Not up to the marathon? No worries! Donations are AWESOME! If you’d like to help the cause, no amount is too small. I’d love to have you donate as support! Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® raises funds for 170 children’s hospitals across North America, which in turn use the money where it’s needed the most. When a donation is given, it stays in the community, helping local kids.
Why is this important to me & our family?
The last year was really hard on our family with medical issues! It was a year ago this week, we came to learn first-hand the importance of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals! Baby Brother had a skin infection (that we had already seen the pediatrician too), was miserable, and had a fever that just wasn’t coming down. When we decided to go to the ER, the choice was obvious to me – we’d head to Phoenix Children’s Hospital (even though it’s not anywhere near the closest). When we arrived at triage, his fever was 105.3 and everyone was REALLY concerned. And, I was beyond scared! You can read whole hospital story here. 
So, Phoenix Children’s Hospital became our home for 3 days as he battled what turned out to be a MRSA infection. No parent ever wants to spend time in the hospital with their little ones, but I have NEVER been so thankful to have access to wonderful care like this! Phoenix Children’s took great care of us – the nurses, doctors, even the food! After 3 days though, we were thrilled to be able to head home and we were hoping that we wouldn’t be visiting the hospital again any time in the near future (or really, in the future at all)! 
Little did we know that just about 3.5 weeks later, there would be a grilling accident that left Baby Brother hospitalized again with 3rd degree burns on his poor little baby hands. It was awful (debriding the burns was the hardest thing I’ve done as a parent so far), yet once again, we were so thankful for excellent medical care! 
After frequent appointments, we were released from care in early November. And, we were SO looking forward to a stress-free few months. But…life had other plans. Little Brother (3 at the time) was roughhousing with Big Brother Thanksgiving evening and hurt his leg. He could put weight on it, but a few days later he was still limping a lot. So, our pediatrician sent us in for x-rays. I was in the room, watching the images come up on the computer when my heart sank and my mind desperately tried to grasp what I was seeing on the screen. It wasn’t a break… 
Look at that big dark spot on his fibula! Tumor was the only place my brain went and I was beside myself!! My pediatrician (and many of our medical professional friends) assured me that it looked like a classic bone cyst (even though NOT in a common spot) and we were referred to Phoenix Children’s Hospital Orthopedic team. Just before Christmas, we did an MRI (which required full sedation) and then monitored what doctors were 98% sure was indeed a bone cyst. Unfortunately though, it was growing (and FAST)! Then, that stupid growing cyst broke Little Brother’s leg! 
His poor fibula was bulging to the point that you could actually start to see the swelling on the outside of his leg and area was hard to the touch. Any time he would bump it, he’d be limping for days (and quite possibly breaking his leg every time). So, in May, we checked in to Phoenix Children’s Hospital once again for surgery to remove the bone cyst. 
And, once again, we were SO impressed with the hospital staff! The doctors were GREAT with us and him. They did everything they possibly could to make all of us feel as comfortable as possible in this situation. Little Brother got those Cars slippers in pre-op and still wears them now! 🙂 And, thankfully, surgery went great! The pathology came back as a benign cyst (even with that crazy growth) and has filled in nicely. We just recently had another follow-up with our PCH orthopedic surgeon and if all still looks good by next May, then we’ll be released from care! YAY!
Sheesh! We are definitely praying for a less eventful year! But, as crazy as it was, I know how much worse it could have been. I saw the parents and kids inside the hospital who didn’t get to come home like we did, who are dealing with life-threatening and terminal illness. After dealing with just the bit that we did, I have such deep empathy for parents who are dealing with that stress for years.
So, that’s why I’m thrilled to be a lead blogger for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals® Miracle Marathon. Again, I’d LOVE to have you JOIN ME and register for Team Mom Endeavors or to donate to the cause.
I know first hand how easy it is to take these things for granted…until it’s YOUR child or loved one that actually needs the help. These hospitals are SO important and I would be so grateful for your support!
It’s a marathon, plus a mile, for the kids! #MiracleMarathon
Disclosure: This post was made possible through the support of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. All opinions & experiences are entirely my own.
