Mom runs Boston Marathon for daughter with spinal muscular atrophy
By Marissa Tansino
Click here for updates on this story
LITCHFIELD, New Hampshire (WMUR) — A Litchfield woman is running the Boston Marathon to raise awareness for spinal muscular atrophy and honor her daughter, who defied medical expectations by living beyond her second birthday.
Keleigh Morin said her daughter, Meriden, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) Type 1 shortly after birth.
Despite doctors predicting she wouldn’t live past age 2, Meriden will turn 10 in June.
“So, Mer was diagnosed, when she was 6 months old,” Morin said. “At the time when she was diagnosed, it was very much a life-limiting diagnosis.”
Meriden’s daily life involves using a g-tube for eating and communicating through texts, picture talk and an iPad.
Despite her challenges, Meriden has made significant progress, which Morin attributes to the care received at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“They’ve done so much for us,” she said. “And even though they say you don’t owe them anything, or that’s not why they’re there, it feels amazing to give back in some way.”
Morin is running the marathon to raise awareness for SMA Type 1 and Boston Children’s Hospital, fulfilling a promise she made to her daughter.
“When I found out she would eventually lose the ability to move, I decided that I would move enough for both of us,” Morin said.
Inspired by other families, Morin began training for races with an adaptive stroller.
“In her words, she’ll say if it’s a nice day that she wants to go running. She is so, so happy to go running,” Morin said. “And she loves to tell people that she’s run these races with her mom.”
“I’ve committed myself to moving for her in all the ways and to have it combine in a way that I’m not only moving, but raising money and bringing awareness and bringing solidarity for these kids,” Morin continued.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.