Run4NF story: Lisa Wilberding
September 17 2010
Posted in Run4NF
Why am I running? No, seriously, this is a fair question. I am nearly forty years old and have not exerted any real energy since Duran Duran was a major pop sensation. As time wore on I grew fat and happy. I knew in the back of my mind I needed to take better care of myself but I did not give it any real priority until recently. About five years ago my sister-in-law, Tricia, gave birth to a very beautiful baby boy, Brendan. His crystal blue eyes staring up at me and my husband as a newborn were so intoxicating that we found ourselves expecting our third child very shortly after that visit - this is one of our favorite family stories. As an aunt I enjoyed hearing about his growth and development. I didn’t fully understand the worry in Tricia’s voice when she described that he had a symptom of NF and that he was being “watched”. It really wasn’t until Brendan was about four, long after diagnosis, that I began to think about what Neurofibromatosis was. I could barely even pronounce the word. Then in January I signed up for the marathon. My sister-in-law and I would chit chat and she would fill me in on how my nephew was doing. On the one hand he sounded like every other little boy; bike riding and playing with his brother and idolizing his father. But always there was the other question “How is he really doing?”.
You can support Lisa by donating to her Firsgiving page.
One cold night in late February as I was trying to figure out how to run one mile without stopping I thought about Brendan. I thought about how I have taken my body for granted. That my body can just do what I tell it to with a little hard work. And as I kept running I found myself thinking about Brendan a lot. Life is not fair. So I had to do something - and believe me this is small beans compared to what lays ahead for Brendan.
When I told my Brother and sister-in-law they were thrilled. Together we have raised over two thousand dollars and hope to reach four thousand by 10-10-10 (the date of the Chicago Marathon). Brendan’s parents immediately got on facebook and my donation link was everywhere. My sister-in-law’s mother not only donated but has been soliciting donations on my behalf. It has been a wonderful feeling seeing how our whole family and tons of friends have come out in support of Brendan and NF. Now when I do my practice runs I not only think about my beautiful nephew but also all the support we have received via donations. It is overwhelmingly one of the best experiences of my life.
