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Shannon and Ryan trained for and completed the United States Marine Corps Marathon on October 35th, 2009! Thank you for your donations and your continued support!
Shannon's daughter, Sonia Chaya, was born on April 24, 2007 with a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This meant only half of her heart developed properly in utero. Although HLHS is fatal without medical intervention, Sonia was given 4 1/2 beautiful months with the help of an amazing medical team at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
During that time, Chai Lifeline was around almost daily to offer support. They brought Shannon kosher meals throughout the week so she wouldn't have to leave Sonia's side. They kept a steady flow of visitors around to keep her company, and even offered to sit with Sonia when she needed time away.
During Sonia's beautiful yet brief time, Chai Lifeline helped with all of the little things so that Shannon could focus on her. The day Sonia died, Shannon was alone in Philadelphia with no family to stand by her side or help with the details. It was during these hours that Chai Lifeline made the biggest impact on her. Rabbi Fried drove out immediately and stayed with her for hours. He sat with her, talked with her, and handled almost every detail. He even drove out on the morning of Rosh Hashanah, the Holy Jewish New Year, to give our sweet girl a beautiful ceremony.
To this day Chai Lifeline has continued to offer their support, sending cards and information about upcoming retreats. To show our gratitude and remember sweet Sonia Chaya, we are running this marathon to raise money for this amazing organization. Every family dealing with serious illness should be so lucky to have friends like those at Chai Lifeline by their side.
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 Sweet Sonia Chaya
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