Ladybug Run: Cook Park, Oregon
Event Description:
The primary focus of the event is to promote awareness of and raise funds for the condition of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). The event will consist of a 5K run, 5k walk and a 10K fun run in Cook Park. We also have a Diaper Dash (2 and under), Kids 1/2mile, and Kids 1 mile races. The course will consist of an urban trail winding through open green spaces, neighborhoods, and forested areas and providing a unique running experience.
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Inspiration: Our daughter Finley.
At our 20 week ultrasound appointment Wednesday March 31st 2010 (ironically CDH Awareness Day), my husband and I were thrilled to get the news we were having our second girl but that news was quickly overshadowed by the fact that our baby had a pretty serious complication. We were told that our baby has a left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (this happens in one in about every 2,500 births) which means the diaphragm didn’t close entirely when it was supposed to and some of the lower organs (in our case; stomach, intestines, and spleen) are up where they shouldn’t be. As a result, the lungs wouldn’t grow to normal size and she was at risk for a laundry list of complications that ended with the statement that she had about a 40-50% chance of survival. Then we were told that in 30% of these cases there are additional chromosomal abnormalities accompanying the hernia which could further reduce survivability. Thankfully, amniocentesis tests showed that she did not have any other abnormalities. We chose to deliver at Emanuel Children’s Hospital because of their reputation and excellent track record with this type of birth defect. We asked for lots of prayers that her lungs would grow large enough and that she would stabilize quickly after birth without too much damage to other organs. God answered all our prayers and more. It took 19 days for her to stabilize enough for her to have her repair surgery and after 30 days more in the NICU, she was finally able to come home.
Finley was in the fortunate 50% that survive. As I am now a part of the CDH ‘Family’ I witness the journeys of many other families that do not have our outcome. Because this defect is rare and not heard of by most, it does not have the funding that other more widely known birth defects attract. I would like to help change this.
