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Apr 15, 2008 2:46 pm US/Eastern
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Sisters To Run Marathon For Children's Hospital
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
Most of the runners pounding the pavement, and their bodies, in the Boston Marathon are not out there to win.
Some run for a personal best, or simply to prove they can make it. Others run for a cause.
This is the story of 2 sisters, running to raise money for Children's Hospital Boston, because doctors and nurses there saved the life of a precious little girl.
Charlotte O'Shea of Bolton just turned 4 years old. She has spent half her young life being treated at Children's Hospital. "Charlotte was diagnosed with a very aggressive, malignant brain tumor in April 2006," says her mother, Janet O'Shea.
"Since that day we have literally been at Children's Hospital anywhere from 2 to 5 days a week," she adds.
Today Charlotte is doing well, but it took 3 brain surgeries, 61 radiation treatments, multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a recent stem cell transplant to get her to this point. "We hope this is it, we really hope this is it," says her mother.
To say "thank you" to the hospital, Charlotte's mother Janet, and Janet's sister Alison Larkin are part of the Miles for Miracles program, running the Boston Marathon to raise money for Children's Hospital.
"I can't tell you how much emotion is involved with running for the hospital that saved my niece," says Alison. This year 200 runners will wear the Miles for Miracles singlet. They're goal is to raise a record $1.6 million.
"I'm going to think of all the people that supported us. Of course I'm going to be thinking about Charlotte and all that she's been through," says Larkin.
This will be the second Boston Marathon for Charlotte's mother, but this time she'll be running with a very different reality in mind. "I ran the Marathon in 2006 not knowing that my child had cancer," she says. "Along the way I saw children on the sides and they were cheering and it was very emotional for me. And a week later my daughter was diagnosed with cancer. So I feel like it's the end of a long journey for us," she adds.
Charlotte's cancer is so aggressive and so rare that Children's is one of the few hospitals in the country equipped to treat it.
The Miles for Miracles program began 12 years ago. Since then runners have raised nearly $9 million for the hospital.
If you'd like to support the team, visit:
www.childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon
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