For Chin '11, First Marathon is Race to Give Back
On Marathon Monday, April 18, Taylor Chin '11 competes in his first marathon not just for himself, but also for a young Children's Hospital patient-partner and for a cause that stretches back to Chin's childhood.
Chin, now 20, was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease at Boston Children's Hospital when he was just two years old. A difficult illness to diagnose, Kawasaki can cause long-lasting heart damage if not treated quickly.
"Today," says Chin, "I am incredibly fortunate to not only be 100% healthy, but also to be physically able to pursue my childhood dream of playing college soccer, and I owe it all to the amazing doctors and staff at Children's Hospital."
Chin is a member of Wesleyan University's Class of 2018, and plays on the school's varsity soccer team.
His relationship with Children's has continued to grow since his diagnosis and successful treatment. When he was eight years old, he says, he "became a Patient-Partner for the Miles for Miracles team and was paired with an adult who ran the Boston Marathon in support of me for the next few years." In addition, he returns to the hospital every five years for evaluations of the health of his heart.
And now, says Chin, "It is my turn to take a more active role in giving back to an organization I owe so much to, by using the tool they gave me: my health."
As part of that commitment, Chin has dedicated his participation in the 2016 Boston Marathon to raising funds for Children's Hospital. But just as important, he's been partnered with a young patient, Ben Westlake, to share encouragement and support as they both train to compete: Chin in the full-length 26.2-mile Marathon, and Ben in the two-mile youth race.
Today, as they prepare for Marathon Monday, Chin and Ben have together raised more than $10,000 for Children's. They agree that all their effort on behalf of the institution that did so much for them has been more than worth it. "They really, really do help you, and they really do care about the people who come there," says Ben.
See a WBZ TV segment about Chin and Ben:
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Chin, now 20, was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease at Boston Children's Hospital when he was just two years old. A difficult illness to diagnose, Kawasaki can cause long-lasting heart damage if not treated quickly.
"Today," says Chin, "I am incredibly fortunate to not only be 100% healthy, but also to be physically able to pursue my childhood dream of playing college soccer, and I owe it all to the amazing doctors and staff at Children's Hospital."
Chin is a member of Wesleyan University's Class of 2018, and plays on the school's varsity soccer team.
His relationship with Children's has continued to grow since his diagnosis and successful treatment. When he was eight years old, he says, he "became a Patient-Partner for the Miles for Miracles team and was paired with an adult who ran the Boston Marathon in support of me for the next few years." In addition, he returns to the hospital every five years for evaluations of the health of his heart.
And now, says Chin, "It is my turn to take a more active role in giving back to an organization I owe so much to, by using the tool they gave me: my health."
As part of that commitment, Chin has dedicated his participation in the 2016 Boston Marathon to raising funds for Children's Hospital. But just as important, he's been partnered with a young patient, Ben Westlake, to share encouragement and support as they both train to compete: Chin in the full-length 26.2-mile Marathon, and Ben in the two-mile youth race.
Ben's connection with Children's runs just as deep as Chin's. In March of 2015, according to his father, Evan, "Benjamin concluded his participation in a research study on ventriculomegaly that began when he was still months away from entering the world."
"After seven years of visits and tests," says Evan, "Benjamin’s final study evaluation confirmed what we already knew – he's a perfectly happy, healthy, and smart kid!"
"After seven years of visits and tests," says Evan, "Benjamin’s final study evaluation confirmed what we already knew – he's a perfectly happy, healthy, and smart kid!"
But in just a few months' time the Westlakes would be back at Children's Hospital in the Orthopaedics Department. They learned that after a great spring soccer season, Ben was diagnosed with a fracture at the base of his spine and restricted from all physical activities. It was a shocking disappointment for the family.
Yet the young athlete approached his setback with maturity not often seen in a young boy. "He fully understood the severity of his injury and was perfectly compliant with his doctor’s orders," says his father. "In September 2015 he was released from his 23-hour-per-day brace, and by December, he was pronounced fully healed."
Yet the young athlete approached his setback with maturity not often seen in a young boy. "He fully understood the severity of his injury and was perfectly compliant with his doctor’s orders," says his father. "In September 2015 he was released from his 23-hour-per-day brace, and by December, he was pronounced fully healed."
Today, as they prepare for Marathon Monday, Chin and Ben have together raised more than $10,000 for Children's. They agree that all their effort on behalf of the institution that did so much for them has been more than worth it. "They really, really do help you, and they really do care about the people who come there," says Ben.
See a WBZ TV segment about Chin and Ben:
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Chin and Ben in training earlier this spring
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The two were the subject of a WBZ TV profile.
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Ben, Chin's patient-partner
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