“It always seems impossible until it's done.”
- Nelson Mandela
Starting on April 18th, 2016, supported by his family, Jeremy Bradford will set out to run from the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles to the steps of City Hall in New York City to help support Children's Hospital Colorado.
Jeremy Bradford is an accomplished ultra-runner in Denver, Colorado. Inspired by the athletes that have accomplished amazing feats of endurance in the name of charity, such as the great Canadian hero, Terry Fox, Jeremy has long dreamed of undertaking a charitable transcontinental run of his own. With the generous support of his employer, HomeAdvisor, Jeremy now has the opportunity to pursue this dream of running the roughly 3,000 miles from Los Angeles to New York City. He endeavors to complete this journey in the very fast time of 60 days or less to help raise funds for the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic at Children's Hospital Colorado.
Jeremy's daughter, Maya, was born with a condition known as Pierre Robin Sequence. This condition resulted in a cleft palate and a small jaw that caused difficulty with eating and breathing. Her jaw was so small that her tongue couldn't rest in a forward position which caused her tongue to fall backwards and cut off her airway, which made breathing a constant struggle. In addition to breathing problems, she was unable to create any sort of suction in her mouth due to the cleft palate, which meant that drinking from a regular bottle was out of the question and required special equipment and attention. These are some of the challenges Maya had to face from day one.
When Maya was only 9 months old, Children's Hospital Colorado was able to repair her palate with surgery giving Maya a whole new lease on life. She has grown into an incredibly athletic 10-year-old who enjoys swimming, biking, and running. Needless to say, eating and breathing is no longer a struggle for her. Her family has watched her grow from the days when she was constantly monitored to ensure that she was breathing okay to present day where it is not uncommon to see Maya compete in local runs ranging in distances from 5k fun runs to 24 hour events where she has covered up to 28 miles!
Please consider donating in any amount to the cause. Maya's family is forever grateful to the Children's Hospital and hopes to be able to make the journey easier for children and their families that may face some of the same challenges that Maya had to overcome.