April 2005 Archives
We got there at around 11:30 am.
Had some time to play frisbee.
"Where are they, where are they?” Andy kept asking; he was sitting on my shoulders.
We were on the side of the street in front of Wellesley Town Hall; exactly mile 13 of the 26.2 mile marathon.
It was 2:00 pm and Andy was getting tired. He was handing out water and oranges to the runners.
"Dad, when are they coming??", still asking.
Suddenly Kelli appeared in the middle of the street and we started shouting. Kelli stopped I put Andy down in front of her; Kelli carried Andy. The photographers from Children's Hospital gathered around them.
It was a great moment.
Kelli kept on running and on her back she had a sign that said "ANDY". We could also see her shoes from a distance.
Andy had to take a seat.
Moments later a video crew from Children’s asked me some questions about the hospital; we were waiting for Elyse.
And suddenly she appeared;
"Elyse is here! Elyse is here!" we shouted.
It was great to see her.
Andy was a little tired but also happy.
Thank you Elyse and Kelli!
Fri 04/15/2005 9:37 AM
Hello Everyone,
As many of you know, I have been running the Boston Marathon for the past two years to support causes that are very important in my life. In 2003, I ran to support The Home for Little Wanderers, a place very special to my family as it is the agency through wich my parents adopted me. Then last year, I decided to run the marathon to support Children's Hospital. Another place very close to my heart as my mother has worked there for 39 years and I have volunteered and worked there seeing many people touched by the magic the doctors work on a daily basis.
Children's has this wonderful program where runners are paired with patients as inspiration for their run. When I met my patient partner, Andy... my motivation to run The Boston Marathon changed completely. I have never been so inspired by one little boy and his family than I am by Andy, his parents and his little sister Sofia. Andy has a Primary Immune Defficiency and has spent more than 600 days of his 5 year old life in various hospitals in Mexico and the US. Andy and his family came to Children's in 2001 and has been treated there ever since. This past fall, Andy's little sister Sofia gave him her stem cells and bone marrow. This gave Andy the opportunity to have a healthy life free of Children's Hospital stays.
When I finished the Marathon last year (in 90 degree heat) in honor of Andy, there was no better feeling. As many of you know, I injured my knee in February while training one weekend in the snow. It has been a struggle for the past 2 months whether or not to run Boston again knowing that I could further injure my knee. When I was about to give up last week, Andy's dad offered to run the marathon for me and I was reminded of the amazing sacrifices that this family has made and continues to make for Andy.
So... THAT SAID... I will be running the first half of the Boston Marathon and meeting Andy and his family in Wellesley at the Children's Hospital Cheering Section. I couldn't let Andy down so I would like to ask all of you to help me out with your cheers but more importantly, help Children's Hospital give kids like Andy a chance at a happy and healthy life.
To donate to my marathon campaign for Andy, go to
www.chtrust.org/kidsatheart and click on the sponsor a runner tab to enter my name.
Thanks in advance to all of you!
Love,
Elyse
Andy & Elyse @ Frog Pond, Boston MA. March 2004
Elyse 4 Andy website here.
Just heard back from Elyse that if there's "funny business" (changing numbers, shirts etc) Children's Hospital Trust could be in jeopardy of losing their numbers from the Boston Athletic Association.
We don't want that.
Adding to that Paulina doesnt want me to run because I didnt train.
And it's true, I didnt train.
So Kelli Cole will be the only runner for Andy this year. GOOO KELLI!
Kelli Cole's party was a huge success. Pictures here.
The online version of the Children's News article about Kelli Cole "Spotlight: Running for Andy" is available here.
On other news:
We received the bad news last Monday. Elyse has a strained ACL (main ligament on her knee). Her physical therapist told her she couldnt run the whole marathon.
We're checking with CH Trust to see if I can substitute Elyse and run, walk and/or crawl the marathon.
Elyse is checking with her physical therapist right now to see if she can run half of the marathon and I would 'run' the other half.
More news coming soon.
More about the Children's Hospital Kids at Heart Marathon Team here.
Boston Marathon course map here(pdf doc.).
Audrey and Marlaina:
Dr. Jordan Orange:
Pictures from the party:
We had a great time at The Party!
A lot of people showed up tu support Kelli's Run for Andy. We met Kelli's parents and fiancee.
We were also very happy to see our friends from 6W.
First time Paulina and I go to a bar in 5 years and drink a margarita and a beer respectively.
My two blog readers can also support Kelli's Run for Andy at the kelli4andy.com website here
7 days for the marathon!
Gooo Kelli!
By Gareth Cook 2005 Pulitzer Prize
Incredible source of information regarding stem cells and the debate here.
Graphics about stem cells.
Stem Cell links.
The human face of stem cells research (pictures).
Parents taking their children with muscular dystrophy to a clinic in Kiev for a embryonic stem cell infusion.
And more.
Kelli and Andy on the April lissue of Children's News!
Published monthly by the Department of Public Affairs for Children's Hospital Boston employees, staff, volunteers and visitors.
Running for Andy
Children's Hospital Boston's Kelli Cole, RN, has been running the Boston Marathon for the past three years. But this year the race is more than just a personal challenge-Cole is teaming up with one of her patients, Andy Treviño, to raise money for Children's.
A nurse on 6 West for the past three and a half years, Cole cares for patients whom she refers to as "the bravest, strongest kids that run their own marathon every day."
Five-year-old Andy is one such patient. Born in Mexico, Andy arrived at Children's on April 25, 2001, where he was diagnosed with a mutated nuclear factor kappa B essential modifier (NEMO) gene, which has caused a primary immune deficiency that makes his body unable to protect itself from even common infections. NEMO has caused Andy to be in the hospital for more than one-third of his life.
Cole became Andy's primary nurse in September 2004, shortly before a stem cell transplant aimed at restoring his immune system. The two quickly became good friends. "Andy's been through a lot," says Cole. "So many kids like him become quiet and withdrawn, but not Andy. He's so full of energy and has a great sense of humor. He's really an amazing kid."
When Andy's parents, Paulina and Andrés, found out Cole would be running the 2005 Boston Marathon, they asked if she would consider running for the hospital in their son's honor. "It was perfect timing," says Cole. "There are so many days that I leave work wishing I could do more, so I thought that running for Children's and honoring Andy would be the 'more' that I could do."
As a gift to Kelli, Andy designed the sneakers she will wear for the race. Using www.nikeid.com, he was able to select the colors and have them personalized with his name on the left shoe and Kelli's on the right. "He's only 5 years old, but Andy's a whiz on the computer," says Cole. "We sat down together in his hospital room, and he mixed and matched colors until he found a combination he liked. He even threw in some pink for me, since he knows it's my favorite color."
Andy has been home since February and has started back to school, learning in a private room to protect him from infection. "It's unfortunate that he can’t be with the other kids," says Cole, "but at least he has a normal routine again. He's doing great."
Cole hopes Andy will be able to cheer for her along the race route this year, but regardless, she'll be thinking of him as she runs. "No matter how bad I might feel during the race, I have to finish for Andy," she says. "In years past, I've never run for Children's, but the kids that I've cared for have always run with me. And this year, I'll be thinking of Andy."
Online version of Children's News here.
Kelli 4 Andy website (and picture of the shoes) here.
