One Woman's Inspiration to run 19.3 Miles in Two Days
Christina Carranza is gearing up for her third year participating in runDisney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend, February 21-24, 2019. She will participate in the Fairy Tale Challenge, which means she will run 19.3 miles over two days throughout Walt Disney World Resort.
“It brings me so much joy and pride to fundraise for CMN Hospitals. My inspiration for participating is my son Jacob who is profoundly deaf and is a bilateral cochlear implant recipient from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, FL. I’m very proud to wear the Miracle Maker Bib on race day.”
Read more of Christina’s story below.
“Jacob was born at 35 weeks, along with his twin brother Luca. After a short NICU stay at our local hospital, he was discharged with a failed hearing screen test. More than a year after formal testing at our local healthcare provider, he was referred to the specialists at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
In January 2015, the team at All Children’s diagnosed Jacob with profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears; Jacob was deaf. In 2017, Jacob underwent two cochlear implant surgeries which were a success! Cochlear Implants are specialized medical devices which allow Jacob to have access to sound. We have been under the care of a CMN Hospital since 2015; the dedicated team at ACH has been so wonderful and guided us during some uncharted territory for our family. Simply put, we wouldn’t be where we are without them. Jacob is listening, hearing, and is talking up a storm! As the parent of a child with medical needs, and a registered nurse myself, I am truly impressed with our local CMN Hospital.
In 2015, a family friend sent me a link to join the Miracle Makers. I felt the calling to give back and fundraise for this charity so that children may always have access to high-quality care. In 2016, I ran solo. But last year, I had encouraged two friends to fundraise with the Miracle Makers. This year, there are seven of us from Southwest Florida who are proud Miracle Makers. I am so thankful for all the runners for dedicating their sweat and tears to raise funds for these children and families. The vision of CMN Hospitals is simple: Together We Save Lives. And I really believe that which is why I run. “