City: Canton, MA

Profession: PCA/Server

Fundraising Goal: $1000

Race Goal: 4:30 hrs

In a few sentences, describe your connection to U2FP, why you chose to run in support of U2FP, and whether you have a personal connection to spinal cord injury and paralysis:

This past April my fiancé and I joined a few friends to cheer on the marathoners running the streets of Boston at the 127th Boston Marathon. Watching the runners passing by I couldn’t help but feel inspired by complete strangers, from different ages, sizes, and athletic backgrounds all fighting towards the ultimate goal of running 26.2miles. When I left that day I knew two things: I wanted to run my first marathon and I wanted to do it for a cause front and center in my life. And that’s how I came upon the U2FP team and the Chicago Marathon. My personal connection to SCI/paralysis goes back to January 12th, 2021…

My Tuesday morning started off normal, saying goodbye to my fiancé who I had just become engaged to two weeks prior as he started his workday and I headed home after staying over. Everything about that morning seemed mundane, just another cold winter morning. Until I received a phone call from my fiancé’s sister telling me he had collapsed at the gym and was being rushed to the hospital. The next update I had was that he was undergoing open heart surgery. In the days that followed, we learned Vaughn had suffered an aortic dissection, which led to a spinal cord stroke and left him paralyzed from the waist down. The next months were some of the hardest in our lives as we learned to cope with the news and navigate this new reality all too foreign to us.

Fast forward a little over 2 years later, we were dealt the same cards when Vaughn’s dad and my future father-in-law was struck by a bus while stopped at a red light and also suffered a spinal cord injury and became paralyzed. To say we felt shattered and defeated is to say the least. How could we go through it all over again? It had taken us years to get to where we were, feeling hopeful for the future and finally some sense of normalcy. Our lives were falling back into place, and once again we were back at ground zero.

When you ask me what has kept me strong through the many challenges and obstacles that I’ve faced these past years, it is the strength, grace, grit, and fighting spirit I witness first hand from not only my fiancé and his dad but all the different amazing people that I’ve crossed paths with in this journey. Whether it be someone in the SCI community, their partner, family, friends, or therapists. The support me and my family found in this community is unpaired, and I can confidently say if it weren’t for all the amazing people that has helped us along the way we wouldn’t have the strength to keep fighting. So in honor and support of those who are affected by SCI, I decided to join as part of the U2FP team to help raise money and awareness to this cause.
 

Is this your first marathon/race? If not, what others have you completed? Yes!

What do you crave after a long race? A good stretch and a nice shower

Do you listen to anything when you train or race? If yes, what? “Top Hits Run” playlist on Apple Music Fitness

What are you most excited and/or nervous about for the marathon? I’m most excited about going to Chicago for the first time and experiencing it with thousands of people from all over the world. Feeling the contagious energy from the other runners and the crowd, while achieving a life-long goal

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? In my free time I love partaking in different outdoor activities with my brothers and my fiancé. Whether it be biking, running, kayaking, playing football at the beach, pickleball… you name it. Anything that gets me moving while enjoying the fresh air.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Follow my fiancé’s journey @life_got_wheel on Instagram!