Team Hope Story - TCS New York City Marathon 2024

Some people dream of running a marathon and relentlessly work toward this awesome goal. I was so far from being a runner that completing a 5k received a totally negotiable honorable mention on my bucket list. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would run a marathon, forget about the Boston Marathon. But I planned, worked, stayed disciplined, hoped, and got lucky. How many people can say the first marathon they ever ran was at the 127^th Boston Marathon on April 17, 2023?  I ran in honor of our son, Robbie Rocco. The day was magnificent, the city was effervescent, and the experience was incredibly profound. I think of the extreme generosity of so many friends and family that donated to my fundraising, it was unreal. The amazing people who came out to cheer me on, moving their schedules, changing their plans just to see me run by for a matter of seconds, I hope you realize that seeing your faces meant so much to me, feeling your unconditional support gave me endless motivation. I’ll never be able to adequately explain how utterly grateful I am that I got this opportunity. You would think that after that exhilarating experience that I peeked on my luck but Team Hope Story has decided to continue the streak.

Today I am blessed to be counted as an official runner for the 2024 TCS New York City Marathon representing Team Hope Story in my second Abbott World Marathon Majors. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about how I got here and how Team Hope Story is making an incredible and meaningful impact in this world.

I haven’t always been a runner, far from it.  But within this community of athletes, I have received the most genuine encouragement, endless support, fueled by optimism and obsession. It is within this sport and this community that I have learned how to push myself beyond my preconceived limits to constantly find a way to keep going. Fortitude is an essential quality for running, within my life and for the amazing people at Hope Story.   

Hope Story connects parents whose child has received a new Down syndrome diagnosis to parents who have a child with Down syndrome so that they can receive, encouragement, support, and hope. Hope Story is a team of medical professionals and storytellers. They believe that stories have the ability to provide hope to others and change the world. They exist to help people learn to tell their stories and help them find opportunities to share them with people that need to hear them the most. They help medical professionals deliver hopeful stories to their patients. They help parents raising children with Down syndrome leverage their unique story to bring hope to parents whose child has received a Down syndrome diagnosis because a little bit of hope goes a long way.

Above is a picture of Noah, the youngest board member at Hope Story! Your donation helps Hope Story provide resources, support, and hope to families whose child has received a Down syndrome diagnosis. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing team and this phenomenal organization.  

You can learn more by visiting http://hopestory.org and stay connected to by signing up for our email updates by visiting this link. Please be sure to follow Hope Story on Instagram and Facebook.