A MESSAGE FROM 26.2 Miles for the SUDC Foundation
I am running the TCS New York City Marathon on November 6th to support an incredibly worthy cause. I'm raising money for the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) Foundation, If you haven't heard of this organization, I'm so very glad. That means that you and people you love, are less likely to have lost a child - over the age of 12 months- unexpectedly. Deaths like this are far more common than people realize.
The Sudden Unexplained Death In Childhood (SUDC) Foundation is tasked with providing a centralized resource for information, support and advocacy. It serves families and professionals affected by the tragedy of SUDC, and promotes awareness of SUDC in communities.
I am running in honor of families in North Carolina who have been affected by the sudden, unexplained, loss of a child. I'll be running in memory of Frank McLean, who died unexpectedly, just before his second birthday. I'm fortunate enough to be friends with his father, Carson, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of his son and for the SUDC Foundation to help support other families in need.
Read more about Frank here: Frank McLean Forever
Below are some additional details on SUDC. I hope you feel moved to support this cause. Every dollar counts!
-Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) is a category of death in children between the ages of 1 and 18 that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation, including an autopsy.
-SUDC is not a cause of death but rather a category or death when the cause is undetermined or not fully understood by medical science yet.
-About 400 child deaths over the age of one fall under SUDC annually; the actual number might be higher due to limited awareness and standardized reporting.
-SUDC is the 5th leading category of death in children age 1-4. When eliminating accidents and other non medical deaths it is the 3rd leading category of death in toddlers.
-Most often, a seemingly healthy child goes to sleep and never wakes up.
-At this time, we do not know what causes SUDC, how to predict it or how to prevent it.
-Undetermined deaths from 0-18 years of age have a higher annual mortality rate than all pediatric cancers combined.
