40 for 40
Donation protected
TL; DR
· I’m turning 40 in January and I want the milestone to matter
· I’m looking to raise money to support medically disadvantaged families (like mine)
· Donations to be split equally amongst the following 5 organizations: Cure TBM, Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, The UVM Medical Center Foundation, The Jimmy Fund, and Gwendolyn Strong Foundation
· I’m going to run 1 mile every hour for the 40 hours leading up to the big day
· I want to make this interactive – donations at or over certain thresholds have the ability to partake in fun ways and I’ll IG live the whole thing (if my wife shows me how)
Hey, I’m Ryan. Husband. Father. Dreamer. Doer. Nearly over-the-hiller.
I’ve got a milestone birthday approaching and I’m looking to make this milestone matter. I’m asking you to help me. I plan to run 40 miles for my 40th birthday, but a little differently than I’ve seen others do it. I plan to run one mile every hour in the 40 hours leading up to the big day – starting at 9am on January 23rd and ending at midnight on January 25th.
My goal is to raise as much as possible – to be donated to organizations that help people like Wilder, and families like mine. Any and all moneys donated through this endeavor will be split equally amongst the following 5 organizations: Cure TBM, Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, The UVM Medical Center Foundation, The Jimmy Fund, and Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. Each of these organizations holds a special place in my or my family’s heart and all have played an important role in our lives to this day.
But, before I get to my 40th and why I’m doing any of this, let me tell you, briefly, about my 37th. That day was spent in the UVM NICU with my 2-week-old son, Wilder.
Wilder was born premature; at 28 weeks and with nothing but a mountain in front of him. He’s classified as medically fragile – he has Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) & unexplained neutropenia, is developmentally delayed, and is faced with a host of other ‘stuff’ that we’ve yet to figure out. He’s been tube fed since he was 6 months old. Didn’t walk until he was nearly 2 years old. He’s had two massive surgeries and a handful of “procedures” all by the age of three.
This has just been the beginning of Wilder’s journey through life. It has also been the early part of our journey as a medical family.
We are a family that no longer does many things together. A family still together, yet torn apart by something unknown and out of our control. We’ve spent countless hours recounting soccer goals and swim lessons, field trips and school events as post scripts to one another. Long distance medical appointments. Hospital admissions. Surgeries. A life not uncommon to the hundreds and thousands of families in similar circumstances.
Through it all, Wilder has remained a guiding light in our lives. He’s shown us how to smile in the face of adversity. He’s brought forth the power of togetherness in our family. He’s reminded me, time and again, never to give up. He’s defined, for me, bravery and selflessness. And he has shown me how to love endlessly and unconditionally, and, most importantly, what it really means to Live Wilder.
But our journey is still young. We’ve still so many medical mysteries to uncover. So many answers to find. So much help and care to provide. So much help and care to receive. It’s not easy being a medical family, but having organizations like those that I’ll be donating to behind us makes a world of difference…for us and the thousands of other families and lives that they touch each and every day.
So, back to this whole 40-mile thing. Why am I doing this? Why not just do the ‘typical’ it’s my birthday, donate to this place or that type of deal?
I want to prove to myself that I can and I want to be able to say that I did something pretty cool that not many others have. Beyond that, I want to prove to myself that I am half as tough as my little man – and all of the little girls and boys out there like him.
Then comes my kids. I want to show them that it’s possible to do unimaginable and unlikely things when you put your mind to it. I want them to see that there are plenty of ways that we can and should help others. I want them to understand that it’s ok to stand and fight for those that are unable to do so themselves.
Lastly, I want to pay it forward. We have been blessed with the kindness and help of family, friends, community, and strangers as we’ve navigated this path. The random meals after a long hospital stay. The unexpected gifts for the kids during the holidays. The continued kindness and support from the community around us. We make giving back a part of our lives on the regular, but I want to make this milestone matter and I’d like to pay it forward in a big way.
So, now, back to you. How can you help? Donate. Please.
Not a strong enough please? How’s this…
Donate………….
$100 and you pick my playlist for a leg. Anything.
$150 and I’ll make that a playlist for an entire hour, regardless of time of day.
$250 and I’ll walk backwards for a mile.
$500 and I’ll run outside, during daylight hours for a leg (TBD)
$750 and I’ll run outside, during dark for a leg (TBD)
$1k and I’ll run outside in an outfit of your choosing for a leg. January. Vermont. I realize that you can have fun with this. It’s all worth it. (Has to be neighborhood decent and legal.)
In advance, thank you.
· I’m turning 40 in January and I want the milestone to matter
· I’m looking to raise money to support medically disadvantaged families (like mine)
· Donations to be split equally amongst the following 5 organizations: Cure TBM, Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, The UVM Medical Center Foundation, The Jimmy Fund, and Gwendolyn Strong Foundation
· I’m going to run 1 mile every hour for the 40 hours leading up to the big day
· I want to make this interactive – donations at or over certain thresholds have the ability to partake in fun ways and I’ll IG live the whole thing (if my wife shows me how)
Hey, I’m Ryan. Husband. Father. Dreamer. Doer. Nearly over-the-hiller.
I’ve got a milestone birthday approaching and I’m looking to make this milestone matter. I’m asking you to help me. I plan to run 40 miles for my 40th birthday, but a little differently than I’ve seen others do it. I plan to run one mile every hour in the 40 hours leading up to the big day – starting at 9am on January 23rd and ending at midnight on January 25th.
My goal is to raise as much as possible – to be donated to organizations that help people like Wilder, and families like mine. Any and all moneys donated through this endeavor will be split equally amongst the following 5 organizations: Cure TBM, Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, The UVM Medical Center Foundation, The Jimmy Fund, and Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. Each of these organizations holds a special place in my or my family’s heart and all have played an important role in our lives to this day.
But, before I get to my 40th and why I’m doing any of this, let me tell you, briefly, about my 37th. That day was spent in the UVM NICU with my 2-week-old son, Wilder.
Wilder was born premature; at 28 weeks and with nothing but a mountain in front of him. He’s classified as medically fragile – he has Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) & unexplained neutropenia, is developmentally delayed, and is faced with a host of other ‘stuff’ that we’ve yet to figure out. He’s been tube fed since he was 6 months old. Didn’t walk until he was nearly 2 years old. He’s had two massive surgeries and a handful of “procedures” all by the age of three.
This has just been the beginning of Wilder’s journey through life. It has also been the early part of our journey as a medical family.
We are a family that no longer does many things together. A family still together, yet torn apart by something unknown and out of our control. We’ve spent countless hours recounting soccer goals and swim lessons, field trips and school events as post scripts to one another. Long distance medical appointments. Hospital admissions. Surgeries. A life not uncommon to the hundreds and thousands of families in similar circumstances.
Through it all, Wilder has remained a guiding light in our lives. He’s shown us how to smile in the face of adversity. He’s brought forth the power of togetherness in our family. He’s reminded me, time and again, never to give up. He’s defined, for me, bravery and selflessness. And he has shown me how to love endlessly and unconditionally, and, most importantly, what it really means to Live Wilder.
But our journey is still young. We’ve still so many medical mysteries to uncover. So many answers to find. So much help and care to provide. So much help and care to receive. It’s not easy being a medical family, but having organizations like those that I’ll be donating to behind us makes a world of difference…for us and the thousands of other families and lives that they touch each and every day.
So, back to this whole 40-mile thing. Why am I doing this? Why not just do the ‘typical’ it’s my birthday, donate to this place or that type of deal?
I want to prove to myself that I can and I want to be able to say that I did something pretty cool that not many others have. Beyond that, I want to prove to myself that I am half as tough as my little man – and all of the little girls and boys out there like him.
Then comes my kids. I want to show them that it’s possible to do unimaginable and unlikely things when you put your mind to it. I want them to see that there are plenty of ways that we can and should help others. I want them to understand that it’s ok to stand and fight for those that are unable to do so themselves.
Lastly, I want to pay it forward. We have been blessed with the kindness and help of family, friends, community, and strangers as we’ve navigated this path. The random meals after a long hospital stay. The unexpected gifts for the kids during the holidays. The continued kindness and support from the community around us. We make giving back a part of our lives on the regular, but I want to make this milestone matter and I’d like to pay it forward in a big way.
So, now, back to you. How can you help? Donate. Please.
Not a strong enough please? How’s this…
Donate………….
$100 and you pick my playlist for a leg. Anything.
$150 and I’ll make that a playlist for an entire hour, regardless of time of day.
$250 and I’ll walk backwards for a mile.
$500 and I’ll run outside, during daylight hours for a leg (TBD)
$750 and I’ll run outside, during dark for a leg (TBD)
$1k and I’ll run outside in an outfit of your choosing for a leg. January. Vermont. I realize that you can have fun with this. It’s all worth it. (Has to be neighborhood decent and legal.)
In advance, thank you.
Organizer
Ryan Dahlstrom
Organizer
Williston, VT