I am riding the Courage Classic for all three of my kids and our friends Jaden Brown, Wyatt Kaplan and in forever loving memory of Huck Miller. 

In April 2006, Tiara was in a T-bone car accident that sent her to Children's Hospital via life flight with a Traumatic Brain Injury. Almost three years to the day, her sister Alyssa, was crushed by a soccer goal at a school track meet leaving her partially paralyzed in both legs. She would spend almost 9 weeks in in-patient rehabilitation at Children's Hospital learning to become stronger with her new challenge. In May of 2010, my husband and I were surprised with the birth of our son, 2 months prior to his due date. He was 13 minutes resuscitation at birth and fought his way to recovery with the help of many specialists and nurses in the NICU.

Our friend Nicholas "Huck" Miller was born with Trisomy 18 and was given slim odds for survival. Through the love of his family he celebrated every day of his 5 month life with incredible courage and fight. On March 29 he was called by the Lord to join the angels. His love and precious face will be forever in our hearts.

Jaden suffered a Stroke at birth which resulted in Hydrocephalus and his first brain surgery at 6 months old. He works very hard daily to overcome lasting damage from the stroke such as vision loss as well as being paralyzed on half of his body.

When Wyatt was 2 years old, his mom noticed a spot on his eye.  The pediatrician referred him to a specialist that would diagnose the spot as a cyst.  The cyst on his eye continues to grow at an alarming rate with no answers to what is causing the cyst to continue to grow.  At 3 years old, he will now face surgery for removal and a cornea transplant this summer.

These kids are fighters and will not be the last children to face a life-threatening illness. These kids have shown me what it means to have courage. Our families will not be the last to navigate a frightening accident or diagnosis. The Courage Classic is both a personal challenge and an opportunity to support positive outcomes for kids and families who need Children's Hospital Colorado. Please support me as I honor these children!