I'm running the Twin Cities marathon this year, for Children's Minnesota Team Superstars. This organization holds a special place in my family's heart.

You see, my youngest son, Oliver, was born with an enlarged kidney (hydronephrosis). We originally discovered this during my 20 week ultrasound. Often times this corrects on it's own, so we were stuck playing the waiting game. A month after Oliver was born, we did another ultrasound, which showed that the kidney was still enlarged, but not enough to take action, so we were told to come back for a follow up scan at 6 months. The scans showed that his kidney was continuing to enlarge, so we were referred to a pediatric urologist. After some follow up tests, Oliver was diagnosed with hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux, and congenital UPJ obstruction. The easiest way to correct this was surgery, so we proceeded with that. Everything was able to be done right at Children's, and I stayed overnight with Oliver. The staff there was so amazing, Oliver especially loved visiting the toy room to explore. 

The surgery was a success, so much that when we went back 6 months later for follow up scans, the urologist had to double check his first set of notes because he couldn't tell which kidney he had operated on! Since the operation was such a success, we are now able to switch back to yearly ultrasounds to ensure that Oliver's kidney continues to grow with him at an appropriate rate. 

100% of your donation will go directly to Children's Minnesota, so other children can have the same care that Oliver was able to recieve.