My "run4sophia" - Rick Chmilar of Sudbury, Ontario

On November 4th, I will attempt to complete the Hamilton, Ontario full marathon. I've seen other marathoners use their run to raise awareness for a certain cause. This it something I've always consider doing but have never felt motivated enough by a cause until now.

In September of 2011 my grand-daughter, Sophia, was born with a rare genetic condition know as Williams Syndrome. Williams Syndrome causes heart defects, and last December, Sophia under-went open heart surgery. Other problems people with Williams Syndrome may encounter include: delays in development, feeding difficulties, joint problems and learning disabilities, which can range from mild to severe. They also seem to share a friendly, outgoing and overly trusting personality as well as a love and sometimes talent for music.

Williams Syndrome is so rare (1 in 20,000 births) that people like Sophia would probably go their entire lives without ever meeting another person with the same condition. This is a very sad possibility but luckily we have organizations like the Canadian Association for Williams Syndrome (CAWS) that helps to connect families and individuals. One way they do this is by organizing and funding conventions, picnics and other meetings at a national and provincial level. The CAWS does much more for Canadians affected by William's Syndrome and I ask that you visit the links below to learn more.

The CAWS is funded almost entirely by donations from people like you. You can help Sophia and others like her by helping CAWS.

If you would like to sponsor me and make a donation you can contact me at 705 693-5003 to arrange a time to meet. You could also mail me a cheque which I will foward to the CAWS head office after adding you to my sponsor list.  They will issue a tax receipt for any donation over $20.00. My address is :

Rick Chmilar
160 Watson Court
Garson, ON
P3L 1K8

Please make cheques out to Canadian Association for Williams Syndrome

Alternatively, You can also mail a cheque to the CAWS head office at the following address:

CAWS National Office
P.O. Box 2115
Vancouver, BC V6B 3T5


Don't forget to write "run4sophia"  and request a tax receipt in the memo of your cheque.

I thank you all for taking time to read this and hope you will all support my efforts to raise awareness and funding for Williams Syndrome.

Please, share the link to my blog with your friends and family.

Links:

The Canadian Association for Williams Syndrome website

The CAWS latest newsletter