100 miles for Danny & Henry

I have known Dan & Kelly Max since approximately 2015 when Dan and I both worked as ER Nurses at MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn, IL.

Dan & I soon realized that we both shared an obsession with running and decided to start training together for the 2016 Chicago Marathon. As training progressed, so did our bond & friendship. Including a spontaneous participation in the Lemont Quarryman Challenge as part of our training.

We spent numerous hours and weekends running together, pushing each other, but better still...UPLIFTING each other. Integrating our training demands with the lives of our families.

Then we decided to sign up for the Hennepin 100 mile Ultra Run in 2018, but not too soon after Dan & Kelly embarked on a travel Nurse assignment that would eventually lead to a relocation to Tennessee; putting that adventure on hold for the foreseeable future.

Not too long ago I received word from Dan's wife Kelly that their family had been dealt with some extraordinarily heartbreaking and unfortunate news. They received news that not only had their son Danny (12) been diagnosed with Batten's Disease, genetic testing would reveal that their youngest son Henry (9), had also been afflicted. In the blink of an eye...two of their three children, their only boys, faced a battle against an incurable neurodegenerative disease...

I felt, and even today, still feel selfish saying my heart sank. I felt paralyzed. As a long-time friend, speechless. As a parent...devastated, confused, angry, but their faith in God to face this adversity head on with such a profound sense of humility & duty, inspired me.

I had to do something. I will do something...but what?

RUN. I can RUN. WE can RUN! I have signed up to participate, alongside Dan, to finally complete our first 100 miler together at the Tunnel Hill 100 in Vienna, IL on 11.08.2025 to help raise awareness and much needed financial support to the Max Family. GIVE TO THE MAX. The Goal? 100miles for 100K. WE CAN DO THIS.

Give where your heart leads, but if nothing else, please SHARE this story with everyone you know so that together, we may be the source of awareness that finds a cure for Danny and Henry and so many other hopeful children and families out there battling hard against Batten's Disease.

Stay tuned for UPDATES!!