On October 22, the Gendron Family will be running the Marine Corps Marathon and 10K together in Washington DC.  We've decided to run this race in honor of all victims of spinal cord injuries who cannot run for themselves, especially our friend Garrett Burgess.  

At the age of four, Garrett was in a car accident that injured his spinal cord at the C6 & C7 vertebra. Since his injury, Garrett has been paralyzed from his chest down to his feet. At age 16, Garrett lost his eyesight and became blind. Garrett requires a wheelchair to get around and help from others for his daily life. Despite the setbacks, Garrett was able to graduate from high school and go on to college. Garrett attended UMass Lowell and graduated with a degree in chemistry. Garrett is currently attending classes toward a graduate degree and hoping for a cure or therapy that will help him become more independent.

Garret and his family introduced us to Travis Roy and the good work of his foundation several years ago and we have been supporters ever since.  Founded by Travis after his own injury in 1995, the Travis Roy Foundation has two parallel missions. The first is to help provide immediate assistance to people who have survived a spinal cord injury with grants to pay for home modifications, assistive equipment, or other items to help them adjust back to life. The second mission is to fund research projects that work toward repairing the human spinal cord. 

Our family is inspired by Garrett and his family and the apparent ease in which they have handled this difficult situaiton over the years.  We know that this is due in part to the support of organizations like the Travis Roy Foundation.  We are proud to honor Garrett and TRF with our efforts on October 22.  We hope that you will consider a donation to support their important work.

The Gendron Family

Steve, Kate, Steve, Erin, Matt, Mike, Chris ... and Cece Santucci too!

(note - Chris will actually be running in the NE10 Championships for Stonehill College that day - but still running for TRF!)