It is with great honor that I announce my support of Boston Children's Hospital as a member of the Miles for Miracles 2026 Boston Marathon Team. Please consider joining me in contributing to the continued search for cures for children throughout New England and around the world. Thousands of families receive premiere medical care at Children's Hospital, and I am honored to help support this important institution.  

Running the Boston Marathon will be an extremely meaningful experience for a myriad of reasons, but fundraising for Boston Children's Hospital is what makes this opportunity most important. 

Your gift will:

• give children battling the most complex diseases the care they cannot receive anywhere else;

• fuel/fund 6,500 researchers who are developing new treatments and cures;

• support patient programs, like music and art therapy, to let kids be kids, especially during long hospital stays;

• help the families in crisis with urgent needs, such as food, clothing and housing;

My personal experience with Boston Children's Hospital began in 2023 in the Chronic Pain Clinic under the care of Dr. Berde for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. CRPS is a rare condition that causes bone marrow edema and intermittent neuropathic pain in my feet and ankles. The reality of my diagnosis was confusing when I first experienced this pain in 5th grade, given its persistence and potential inability to manage. With this condition, I still experience spontaneous pain that causes sleepless nights and challenging days, oftentimes disrupting my ability to focus on academics and engage in physical exertion. Working with the Chronic Pain Clinic afforded me the opportunity to learn about my disorder with world renowned clinicians and specialized resources. With the help of Dr. Berde, I completed testing and participated in research to find a treatment plan that best works for me. I am now granted the ability to manage my pain during flares of CRPS, and I have learned remedies to experience a life with minimal interruptions. As a high school junior and during the months leading up to my first appointment with Dr. Berde, I was oftentimes incapable of sleeping, studying, or running without immense pain, discomfort, and exhaustion. Now, because of Dr. Berde's expertise and the opportunities provided by Children's Hospital, I will train and run the Boston Marathon while a sophomore studying at Boston College! 

My admiration for Dr. Berde and my heightened empathy for all children who experience pain as a result of both their diagnoses and treatments are my paramount motivations to fundraise for Children's Hospital. As you read this letter, children are experiencing far more pain and suffering in a single moment than I ever have. I want to help Children's continue to provide curative, comprehensive, and compassionate care to all children who are in need. Together we can help fuel each child's fight, increase each family's strength, and create stories of resilience. Donations help fund groundbreaking research, create and discover new treatments for rare and complex illnesses, and ensure that no family faces their child's diagnosis alone. This hospital's mission matters, and every dollar raised helps another family find answers, comfort, and hope.

Thank you for supporting me on this fundraising and marathon journey. I cannot wait to participate in the 130th Boston Marathon and contribute towards this important hospital that has cared for children since 1869. Boston College, I look forward to seeing you at Mile 21! I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and any donations you may provide.

Thank you SO much!