Why I’m running the Houston Marathon

Lucky. It’s a word we use almost every day in our house. We are so incredibly lucky to be a part of the Texas Children’s family. And because of Texas Children’s, we are also incredibly lucky to have two healthy and happy identical twin girls.

But we didn’t feel this lucky in February 2013 when we learned our twins had developed a rare disease, twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. At 16 weeks, during a routine ultrasound, our world was turned upside down. Our doctor and her amazing staff in Iowa, detected the disease and immediately referred us to Texas Children’s. We learned this disease can progress quickly and there was not an option to do the needed surgery in Iowa. We put our faith in Texas Children’s Fetal Center. We spent two-and-a-half weeks in Houston, waiting for the ideal time to perform the laser surgery. We were lucky to have such a positive outcome – both of our girls survived the surgery and continued to grow until we delivered in Iowa at 29 weeks. Today, our girls are 3 years old and while our time in Texas seems like a distant memory, we are eternally grateful. The doctors and staff do more than just a job… they are caring, dedicated and compassionate, as well as skilled and exceptional. We know we witnessed something special at Texas Children’s and I feel lucky to be able to give back. I’m honored and grateful to have the privilege to run the Houston Marathon for the second year on the Run for a Reason team. This race is a celebration of our girls’ lives, our struggles and our triumphs during those 29 weeks and the years after. As I stand on the start line, I give thanks for my girls and take a moment to recognize those families needing a glimmer of hope in their darkest days. Texas Children’s will always hold a place in my heart and as long as I can run, you’ll see me on the start line! Thank you, Texas Children’s! See you in January! For more information about Texas Children’s Running Team, visit our website.