Abby Awe

This year I am excited to announce I'm joining TEAM CHOP and running in the 2023 TCS NYC Marathon to support kids at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

I was a patient of CHOP for most of my childhood. We discovered I had Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome when I was 4 years old. It's a fairly common heart condition where there is an extra electrical connection in the heart. "Extra" might sound cool! But it meant that I had an irregular heartbeat for most of my childhood. You know how on a scan of a heartbeat it peaks and then dips below the steady line (I'm not a doctor, don't judge me on terminology)? My heartbeat never dipped below that line. I was prone to palpitations and dizziness and had to avoid all forms of caffeine, including chocolate. When I was 16 I had a cardiac ablation at CHOP where the extra cartilage in my heart was removed and I have had a regular heartbeat ever since. I'm thrilled to be running this marathon because it's not something I thought I would be able to do and I’m even more thrilled to be running on behalf of CHOP.

I hope you will consider supporting me as I prepare for the race. 100% of all donations will benefit Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and all donations are tax deductible. Your gift will help make today's innovative ideas, tomorrow's reality for kids in the Philly area and around the world.

Thank you for supporting me!