A MESSAGE FROM Sunny's NYC Marathon for Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss
In November of last year, I checked myself into an inpatient facility to get the help I needed for my mental health. The New York City Marathon had just happened, and I knew that my one year goal for recovery would be to run the NYC Marathon in 2024. I looked at potential sponsors to run for, and I immediately knew that Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss was the perfect fit for me. Imagine provides resources and support for youth and families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. I lost both of my parents, my mom to mental health, so Imagine’s cause and mental health are extremely important to me.
“Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, is a grief support center for children, young adults, and families dealing with the death of a parent, sibling, or child. We provide free peer grief support year-round for as long as needed.”
No one is ever truly prepared to lose a parent or loved one. When both of my parents passed eight years ago, I was 19 years old—a sophomore in college. I had never been to therapy and didn’t know much about mental health. Luckily, I had a great support system and great people around me that helped me grieve and cope with the loss of my parents. Some aren’t so fortunate, and Imagine, A Center for Coping with Loss, is providing the resources and support to help those, especially the youth, that need it. That is why Imagine’s cause resonates so much with me, and why I’m so honored to have been selected to run for them. In my experience, the best way to heal and grieve is with the support of others.
I am proud to be running the New York City Marathon in support of Imagine and also in honor of my parents, Michael and Vicky Chang. My parents were Chinese immigrants who taught my sisters and I so much about loving and providing for others. My mom battled with depression for years and unfortunately lost her battle with her mental illness. This is why advocating for and speaking up on mental health are so important to me. After sharing my story and mental health journey with friends and hearing how much of a positive impact it had on them, I tried thinking of ways I could more publicly share my sister and I's story to help others. Last year, I created and produced an Apple featured podcast, three siblings, with my sisters Tina and Michele. In the podcast, my sisters and I discuss our story on grief and trauma, our mental health journey, and how we have grown from it. It means so much to me when people reach out to tell me that our story and podcast left a positive impact on them or helped them through a tough time.
In May 2024, my best friend's dad passed away. With Taylor and Brittany’s permission, I will also be running the New York City Marathon in honor of their father, Rick Kline. For 10+ years, the Kline family has been a second family to me, and Dr. Kline treated me like a son. I am so proud of how strong and resilient Taylor and Brittany have been these past two months. I see their love for each other every day, and I know that they have an amazing support system around them.
To cap off what will already be a special day, the marathon is on my mom’s birthday, November 3rd.
These are the donations from the GoFundMe I set up before the official donation page. All of the donations have already been sent to this official page. Thank you to everyone that has already donated:
Maria Alzaga, Kate Hinnant, Kelli Muhl, Peter Vennix, Emily Pantera, Jared Cole, Rafaell Lockett, William Tarver, Benjamin Haynes, Helen Bamgbala, Drake Dines, Henry Wollam, Tanner Sparks, Sam Green, Chris Heartquist, Austin Nowlin, Joseph Pennavaria, Russell Huffines, Matthew Mirka, Sloan Turrentine, Zach Wilhelm, Drake Plunkett, Blake McLendon
https://www.gofundme.com/f/sunny-marathon
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