Kendall's 5k

I ran a 5k yesterday. Yeah, again. Before I tell you how it went, let me tell you about the cause. Caution: you'll probably need Kleenexes.

We have the cutest little gal in the class next door. Her name is Kendall. Kendall suffers from Epidermolysis Bullosa, or EB. According to her website:
"Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is an inherited connective tissue disease causing blisters in the skin and mucosal membranes, with an incidence of 1/50,000.  Its severity ranges from mild to lethal.  It is caused by mutation in the keratin or collagen gene.  As a result, the skin is extremely fragile.  Minor mechanical friction or trauma will separate the layers of the skin and form blisters.  The skin has two layers; the outer layer is called the epidermis and the inner layer is the dermis.  In normal individuals, there are protein anchors, made of collagen, between the two layers that prevent them from moving independently from one another (shearing).  In people born with EB, the two skin layers lack the protein anchors that hold them together, and any action that creates friction between the layers (like rubbing or pressure) will  create blisters and painful sores.  Sufferers of EB have compared the sores to third-degree burns.  The condition was brought to public attention in  the UK through the Channel 4 documentary The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off, chronicling the life  and death of John Kennedy, an English man with EB.  "Butterfly Children" is a term often used to describe younger patients because the skin is said to be as fragile as butterfly's wings."

Every year, Kendall hosts a 5k run, where the proceeds go to benefit the EB Family Crisis Find at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the nation's foremost hospital for patients with EB. There are several forms of EB, each with a different life expectancy window. Some forms leave patients a life expectancy of days, some a few years, and, with proper medical care and in very mild cases, some patients reach adulthood, though this number is not the norm among EB statistics. Because so many of the people dealing with EB are children, the family crisis fund helps pay for medical expenses and lodging for families at Cincinnati Children's Hospital so they can be with their babies.

Do you wanna cry yet? I'm pretty sure I did at the start of the race, especially when they released a balloon for the 24 day old baby at CCH who is currently fighting to stay alive. Running this one was a no-brainer. I absolutely wanted to support Kendall and help her repay the kindness and charity she and her family have been shown. So did many of the others at the school. There were at least 20 students and 6 staff members among those running or walking to support Kendall. It was a great morning to run and a really wonderful way to get together and support a cause that's important to all of us.

I ran specifically with Liz and Emily. Liz has been battling plantar fascitis and hip problems, so her goal was to run the whole time without stopping. Emily has a stress fracture in one leg but ran this 5k plus a 10 miler this morning to support causes she believes in. Me? Well, a few years ago, I dealt with plantar fascitis myself. And guess what returned the night before the race for the first time in 2 years? Yep. So my goal was not only to run the whole time, but I was hoping I could beat my old time of just over 38 minutes. And you know what? We ran the whole time. Emily, who's a legit runner, was so great to talk both Liz and I through it. Not only did I beat my time (I crossed the finish in 34:54) with Emily by my side, but then we turned around to get Liz and all three of us crossed the line again 2 1/2 minutes later. It was so awesome to have each other as support.

I get so excited about these things. It's like I have temporary insanity and forget what I'm about to force myself to go do.

Liz, Emily, and Me at the finish line. We did it! And we're still smiling!