I'm going to run the marathon, for all bereaved parents

Last week, my good friend's little boy passed away suddenly. He had just turned a year old. He was the sweetest, fluffiest, nicest and most hard-won little boy, with such a gentle disposition and the kind of smile that you could feel in your heart.

Needless to say, my friend is in the worst kind of agony imaginable. It is the worst thing in the world. I know there's nothing I can do to make her feel better, but I wanted to figure out at least how not to make her feel worse. Or how to be supportive.

In my research, I came across an organization in Toronto called Bereaved Families of Ontario. They are a volunteer-led organization that offers group support sessions and matches newly bereaved parents up with other parents who have lived through the same hell on earth. My friend has been in contact with them, and hopefully she will be able to benefit from their programs when she is ready.

Some of you may know that I have been doing the Marathon clinic at the Running Room, with no real intention of running a marathon, because marathons are for lunatics. I just wanted to see how far I could take it. It's really hard, but I'm still in the game.

I noticed on the Bereaved Families of Ontario website that they have a team running in the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon. Everything just sort of made sense and came together, and I decided to join the team and run for my friend and for all the parents in Ontario who have suffered through the loss of a child. It will be agony for me, but my agony will not even register on the scale of agony that bereaved parents experience.

I am really not normally a fund-raisery person or a seriously sponsor-y person either, so this is really unusual for me. But if you would like to sponsor me, I'd really appreciate it, and I really think you'd be helping out a lot. This organization doesn't have the profile that breast cancer does, or heart disease or whatnot, but what they do is very very valuable and important. And let's hope that none of us will ever ever have to find out first hand just how important it is.

I noticed while I was browsing the site, that there is an Alison Parrott memorial library as part of the organization. I went to grade school with Alison (as did many of you), and in fact was on the same lunchtime track team as her. Her mother is quite active with the organization. All the more fitting that I should do this.

Here is the link to sponsor me. Heartfelt thanks for reading this, and for pledging any amount that you can.

http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=480353&LangPref=en-CA