After a series of doctor’s visits investigating tics and complex partial seizures, my eight-year-old granddaughter Charleigh was diagnosed with a brain tumor. On her first visit to NYU Langone in New York City she met neurosurgeon Jeffrey Wisoff, MD. After receiving the devastating news that Charleigh had a brain tumor, her mom and dad were numb and emotionally wrought.

It was little Charleigh who actually stepped up and listened to Dr. Wisoff explain what her surgery would involve as he demonstrated it to her on a model of the brain. Her parents have often commented that they were happy Charleigh was with them that day as she handled the diagnosis better than they did.

Because of the location of the tumor in her brain, her parents were informed that the Charleigh they presently knew may not be the Charleigh who wakes up from the surgery. There were concerns about the possibility of a personality change, her memory being affected, her bodily functions not working properly and other issues that could arise from an operation involving the brain. 

On May 19, 2015, Dr. Wisoff removed Charleigh’s tumor. Her recovery was amazing and, except for some minor side effects that remain with her today, she is doing well. 

After her surgery, I found out that, as her grandmother, I could refer her to Make-A-Wish. On the day we found out she was eligible for a wish, her parents, Charleigh and I were so excited and felt extremely blessed. There were many ideas for a wish that Charleigh came up with, many that an eight-year-old didn't realize could not possibly be granted but they did make us laugh. Finally, after much thought, Charleigh wished to meet the cast of the Disney show, "Walk the Prank." It was a children's television show where the stars would perform pranks on unsuspecting people and one of Charleigh's favorites.

After meeting with the wonderful representatives from Make-A-Wish who interviewed Charleigh and her parents, we all waited to find out if her wish could be granted. After the hard-working Make-A-Wish representatives contacted the producers of the show and set up all the trip arrangements, Charleigh found out her wish would be granted!

After she returned home, Charleigh talked about her trip to anyone who would listen. She had such a fantastic time. There was a smile on her face that hadn't been there since the day of her surgery and it touched all of our hearts. To this day, five years later, Charleigh will still bring up a memory from that trip of a lifetime. Her parents are forever grateful for the happiness granted their child and the memories of a lifetime that were created for Charleigh during that trip.

I am truly excited and honored to have been accepted to be part of Team Make-A-Wish for the New York City Marathon. When selecting an Official Charity Member team for the NYC Marathon, I hoped I would be selected to participate with Team Make-A-Wish. I believe in "paying it forward" and fundraising to make other children's wishes come true is definitely a way for me to help other children receive the happiness that Make-A-Wish gave to my granddaughter.

My interest in running comes from my daughter, Jeanine (Charleigh's mom) and my son, Bobby. They are amazing athletes. Jeanine has competed in many triathlons as well as a half ironman. My son, Bobby, has also competed in many triathlons as well as many ironman events. In fact he was named an Ironman All World Athlete for all the successful ironman races he competed in. Watching both of them compete inspired me to become a runner myself.

I have been training for the NYC Marathon through the use of NYRR's Coaching Lab by Runcoach. Each day, I complete the activities assigned to me in hopes of having a successful marathon run. While I am not looking to compete in any certain amount of time, I definitely want to finish the race. I hope that the inspiration given to me by my own children will carry me along to the finish line. As race day draws nearer and nearer, I am filled with excitement and nervousness. To run the NYC Marathon representing Team Make-A-Wish is such an astonishing and humbling feat for me. To know that I will cross the starting line of the NYC Marathon brings me both anxiety and elation. To be able to cross the finish line of the NYC Marathon is a dream come true!