Story
It’s time to give back.
On March 14th, I’m walking the Lake Windward 5K to raise money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta — to support families who are sitting in hospital rooms right now, loving their kids through the hardest days of their lives.
March 20th is my 18th birthday, I turned 16 when I was in hospital. Just two years ago, I was one of those kids at CHOA.
In 2024, I was diagnosed with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) — a rare neuroimmune condition where the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord.
My brain was under attack. I went into heart failure. I was placed on a ventilator and had to relearn how to breathe on my own.
When I woke up, the entire right side of my body was paralyzed. I had lost half my visual field. I had to relearn how to talk clearly. How to sit up. How to stand. How to walk.
I went from swimmer… to wheelchair.
From wheelchair… to walker.
From walker… to brace.
And through a lot of painful, frustrating therapy in between.
I still live with significant nerve pain every day. Walking isn’t automatic for me — it’s intentional. Three miles is not casual. The Lake Windward course is "undulating", and this will push me.
But that’s the point.
As I turn 18 and get ready to graduate from Alpharetta High School, I want to push myself — quite literally the extra miles — to say thank you. To show gratitude for the doctors, nurses, and therapists who helped save my life, and for the community that supported my family when everything felt uncertain.
I won’t be doing this alone. Some of my favorite humans — Ellie, Gabi, Avanti, Tabby, and Tatum — will be walking beside me, along with my family and the community that carried me when I couldn’t carry myself.
This 5K isn’t about pace, it’s about love and gratitude, it’s about being the kind hand on the shoulder for a family who needs it right now.
If you’d like to support CHOA and the families still in the middle of their fight, I’d be so grateful.
On March 14th, I’m not racing anyone else but I'm stronger than yesterday.