Meet Jack.

Everybody, meet Jack.

Jack is my Patient Partner for the 2014 Boston Marathon and I will be running in his honor. I recently met Jack and his parents, Maureen and Joe, for the first time at the Boston Children’s Hospital Marathon kickoff event. It was amazing to hear Jack’s story and how the people at Boston Children’s truly helped save his life. Below is Jack’s story, courtesy of his mom:

“Jack was born with a very rare congenital heart defect called Transposition of the Great Arteries. Basically his aorta and pulmonary artery were formed backwards so that blood was flowing to his lungs back to the same side of his heart and from the other side of his heart to his body and back to that same side. His body was not getting any oxygenated blood. It is 100 percent fatal without surgery. As the day of his birth progressed, his color changed and he was sent to special care nursery. Amazingly there was a cardiologist from Boston Children’s on call at Salem Hospital that evening. He recognized the signs immediately and called for the team at Children’s to come and bring him to Boston by ambulance. Fortunately he had a fixable heart defect. At 4 days old he had life saving open heart surgery.

He is followed by the Cardiac Clinic at Boston Children’s but is now considered to be in the low risk category for heart complications. (Thank God) He has no medications or restrictions. In fact, he runs track, skates on two hockey teams, and plays a mean saxophone. His family is eternally grateful to the doctors and nurses who have made life long commitments to help children in need.”

I mean, wow. Every time I read Jack’s story, I am more and more amazed. Jack will turn 14 years old on April 22nd, the day after the 2014 Boston Marathon. Thanks to Boston Children’s Hospital and the miraculous work they do, Jack is living life to its fullest, and he and his family have another year to look forward to enjoying together.

Please help support my run and all of the amazing work the people at Boston Children’s Hospital do on a daily basis. Thank you in advance: http://www.milesformiracles.org/goto/vdigirolamo

124 days to go…

-V