Our family has been touched by Autism since our youngest daughter was diagnosed at 4 years old. I am also a Special Education Paraprofessional and work with many students on the Autism spectrum. Not a day goes by that we aren’t reminded just how challenging this journey can be for so many families. We are also reminded that if we look beyond Autism we will see someone very special who has so much to offer and to teach us.
Our team began in concept last year when our good friend and neighbor, TJ, surprised our family and ran the Flutie 5K for our daughter, Julia. We were unaware that TJ, who suffers from severe nerve damage, had been planning on running the 5K. We were touched when we received his text with a picture of TJ and Doug and a message that he ran for Julia and so many others like her. That day when TJ arrived home he gave his medal to Julia and he vowed to run the race in 2022 but this time with a team behind him and a bigger goal in mind.
Little did I know that I would be recruited to actually run…something I have never done nor had any interest in doing. I was happy to coordinate the race, volunteer, donate, even walk but running was out of the question! TJ didn’t stop until I gave in and started The J Team with him. If TJ can do it, the rest of us have no excuse! So here we are today, the very beginnings of The J Team.
We are looking to grow our team so please consider joining and shuffling along with us on October 16th or donating to help us reach our goal!