FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MetroPCS Dallas Marathon and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Announce 2014 Junior Race Director, Patient Champions
DALLAS (Oct. 27, 2014) - The MetroPCS Dallas Marathon and its primary
beneficiary, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC), today
announced the 2014 junior race director and patient champions, selected to
represent the thousands of children treated at TSRHC during MetroPCS Dallas
Marathon race weekend.
"We are so grateful to have an amazing beneficiary in Texas Scottish Rite
Hospital for Children over the last 17 years," said Patrick Byerly,
president of the Dallas Marathon. "The patient champions and junior race
director help make race day a memorable one for all our participants,
inspiring runners to achieve their goals and adding some fun along the
way."
Each year, a TSRHC patient serves as the junior race director of the
MetroPCS Dallas Marathon. The junior race director helps participants learn
more about the hospital and allows runners and partners to see, firsthand,
patients who benefit from the marathon. He or she officially counts down
the start of the race and helps spread the word about the great things
TSRHC is doing.
This year's junior race director is 12-year-old Chris from Holliday, Texas.
Born with short-finger symbrachydactyly, Chris started visiting TSRHC at
only two months old. The condition is the most common form of a hand or arm
deficiency, where a child is born with small or missing fingers or a
missing hand. Thanks to the orthopedic care that Chris receives at TSRHC,
he can participate in the activity he loves most: baseball. Chris is
right-handed, but due to the lack of dexterity in his right hand, he could
not grip the ball when he was younger, so he taught himself to throw
left-handed. Chris is a perfect example of assurance and determination. He
now trains with San Diego Padres pitcher Griffin Russell and recently
pitched in the USSSA Global World Series in Destin, Florida.
"The MetroPCS Dallas Marathon has contributed more than $3.5 million to
support the hospital's general patient care, and the junior race director
and patient champions program is a way to show the public the impact of the
marathon's continued support," said Bob Walker, president and CEO of TSRHC.
"Chris can't wait to serve as the 2014 junior race director - he's thrilled
at the opportunity to give back to TSRHC in such a big way. We anticipate a
fun and memorable race day on December 14 this year."
TSRHC and the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon also announced the patient champions
for 2014:
-Elizabeth, 11, a patient diagnosed with dyslexia who used to struggle with
learning and now can't get her nose out of a book
-Alana, 9, a patient who suffered injuries from a major car accident and is
thankful to the hospital for helping her through such a traumatic
experience
-Dimitri, 10, a patient adopted from Russia three years ago and treated for
prosthetic needs, who now participates in sports like swimming, gymnastics
and cycling
-Ellie, 16, a patient who received treatment for scoliosis and, thanks to
the hospital, now has an almost-straight back
-Max, 9, a patient treated in both TSRHC's prosthetics department and the
Charles E. Seay, Jr. Hand Center who has a big passion for art
MetroPCS Dallas Marathon runners interested in becoming a fundraiser for
TSRHC can set up a personal fundraising page at
crowdrise.com/2014metropcsdallasmarathon.
For more information on the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon, visit
dallasmarathon.com. For more information on TSRHC, visit tsrhc.org.
About the Dallas Marathon
The Dallas Marathon is a nonprofit organization with a focus on promoting
health and physical fitness through running events and related activities.
Dating back to 1971, the organization hosts year-round events culminating
with Dallas's largest and Texas's oldest running marathon: the MetroPCS
Dallas Marathon. Now in its 44th running, the marquee property attracts
runners from across the globe and hundreds of thousands of spectators to
Dallas's largest single-day sporting event. The MetroPCS Dallas Marathon
race course highlights iconic Dallas landmarks and is recognized as the
official marathon of the city of Dallas. Since naming a primary beneficiary
in 1997, the Dallas Marathon has donated more than $3.5 million to Texas
Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. For more information, visit
dallasmarathon.com.
About Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children is one of the nation's leading
pediatric centers for the treatment of orthopedic conditions, certain
related neurological disorders, and learning disorders such as dyslexia.
Admission is open to Texas children from birth up to 18 years of age.
Patients receive treatment regardless of the family's ability to pay. For
more information, to volunteer or to make a donation, call 214-559-5000 or
800-421-1121 or visit tsrhc.org.
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