Friedreich’s ataxia has been a part of my life as far back
as I can remember. My two older sisters have FA, and my family has long been
fundraising for research and awareness of the disease. After years of hosting large fundraising
events, my family took a break just as Team FARA was organized. It was a great
opportunity for me and my now husband, Kyle, to start running races for FARA.
The simplicity of the sign-up process makes it trouble-free for members to join
your team, and by distributing the team website link, donations from family,
friends, and colleagues are quick and easy to complete online.
The AthHalf in Athens, Georgia on October 20th
was our third race as part of Team FARA. With four other team members, we
raised over $7,000, our highest amount yet. My family hopes to make the AthHalf
for Team FARA an annual event. On Saturday, we enjoyed an afternoon of football
followed by a pasta dinner. Then after the race on Sunday we all met at the
finish line and stuffed ourselves with a huge brunch afterwards. In addition to
raising money, food is also a good incentive to run!
I didn’t grow up a runner, but my husband did and encouraged
me to start running races with him years ago. Now having the opportunity to run
a race for my sisters with close friends and Kyle by my side just makes it a
perfect scenario. As if that isn’t enough, our team FARA shirts sealed the
deal. I ran with a sense of pride and smiled as runners asked along the course
asked, “What is FA?”. Thankfully Kyle handled the answers since running 13
miles and multitasking don’t mix for me. :)
By: Katie Kilch
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