Why I'm Running

On October 13, 2024, I will be representing Team PODZ and Advocate Health Care as a member of their charity running team at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon! As a member of Advocate’s charity running team, I will be training, fundraising, and ultimately running 26.2 miles to support raise awareness and support a charity close to my heart, Young Hearts for Life.

Team PODZ was founded with the mission to educate people of the devastating effects of Cardiomyopathy in young men and women. Team PODZ strives to raise funds to increase awareness and support research of Cardiomyopathy, while honoring the spirit of a young man whom this disease took too early. Team PODZ was formed by a group of family and friends of Dan Podczerwinski. Dan was 26-year-old, full of life and was loved by all who knew him. He was the life of the party and also an excellent golfer. On Memorial Day, May 27, 2013, while at home with his parents, Dan passed away. Dan was in the prime of his life and his unexpected death devastated all who knew him. In an instant, this otherwise healthy and vibrant young man was gone, a result of undiagnosed cardiomyopathy.

Team PODZ is a longtime partner of Young Hearts for Life (YH4L), a nonprofit whose mission is to provide ECG screenings for students across the Chicagoland area. YH4L has screened over 100,000 students. These screenings are used to diagnose undetected heart defects at an early age and gives these young adults affected by these defects the opportunity to get them diagnosed and treated properly. Striving to prevent another unexpected death due to an undiagnosed heart condition. Personally, I have volunteered numerous times at these screenings, the remarkable impact this team makes on the lives of young adults is remarkable. As my uncle always says, the screenings are always a "success".

Please join in and support me throughout this year's journey! A donation of any amount will bring Team PODZ closer to achieving our goal of supporting Young Hearts for Life this year.