When I was signing up for the Disney Princess Half Marathon I noticed the home page had a link to the Children's Miracle Network. After clicking that link this is what I read -

Andrew "AJ"

East Tennessee Children's Hospital

PILOCYCTIC ASTROCYTOMA

While on a family vacation at Walt Disney World, AJ’s parents noticed he was struggling with coordination and walking. As their trip continued, his symptoms worsened, so they cut their vacation short and headed straight to the pediatrician. Shortly thereafter, doctors diagnosed AJ with the most common type of nonmalignant pediatric brain tumor.

Though most children with this diagnosis have one or two tumors, AJ has seven — most of which are inoperable due to their location. In order to treat the tumors, AJ endured a year of chemotherapy, with his final treatment in December 2015.

How donations helped AJ:

Funds from CMN Hospitals purchased a CT scanner, which doctors used for six of AJ’s CT scans to monitor tumor growth and changes. Donations also helped fund AJ's medical stroller.

https://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/the-c...

I had heard of the CMN before and have even donated to the organization, but it wasn't until reading further that I realized what this organization really does. I contacted a few people so that I could get some more information and this is what I found - all money donated to this cause is put into a fund which is then dispersed to your local CMN hospital. So when you enter your zip code they locate the nearest hospital and your funds are donated to it. I thought it was amazing that they work so hard to keep the money in your own community. The hospital in your area then uses these funds for a variety of things including new equipment, diapers, new pediatric emergency rooms, supplies for families that cannot afford them, and even small things like blood pressure cuffs. You can read so many amazing stories through the website.

The Children's Miracle Network sponsors the Disney Princess Half Marathon which takes place in late February 2017. I will be participating in this race by running as a "miracle maker." My goal is to raise $1,200 for this amazing organization by January 1st. I have even created my own event called "Miles for Children." The purpose of this event is to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. I decided to create this event because I wanted to not only raise money for a great cause but also to run for a reason. For every $5 I raise for the CMN, I will run one mile. If I complete my goal and raise a total of $1,200 I will have 240 miles to run before the date of my race on February 25. I will also be matching 15 percent of everything raised between now and December 31. You can track my miles by joining my Facebook event - Miles for Children.

If you would like so support me and my fundraising you can click the link below to learn more and to connect to the donation page. Please feel free to share, comment, and spread the word. I can't wait to see how much we raise!

http://princesshalfmarathon.childrensmiraclenetwor...