A MESSAGE FROM Meagan's Fundraising Page
I am running the 2024 NYC Marathon with Team SUDC. I'm grateful for the chance to share my family's story and create more awareness around Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood.
On March 24, 2021, we received a call that something was wrong with my fun-loving, perfectly healthy nephew Preston. Preston had just turned 2 in January. That night, he'd been dancing to Christmas music (as per usual) and playing with his big brother before heading off to bed. When his mom went to check on him, she found him unresponsive. Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood is a category for death of a child between age 1 and 18 that goes without explanation after thorough investigation, including autopsy. It is believed to affect over 500 children a year, and that year, we lost my beautiful nephew.
This led us to the SUDC Foundation. For three years, this organization has been a resource for support, information, and community. In 2021, SUDC provided an avenue for us to share Preston's story and raise funds for continued research when my dear and generous friend Julie O'Meara ran the marathon in his memory. In the years since, I've continued to cheer on SUDC runners who have triumphantly turned their loss and pain into a force for better.
I am running this year as a new parent myself. I have connected with so many mothers who struggle with sleep anxiety, and lean on monitors and safety protocols to help us find some peace at bedtime every night. SUDC's research is a rare and important pathway to learning more, and I am honored to have the opportunity to highlight this organization and fundraise to garner more support for their work.
