For the third year in a row, a Grandview Heights Schools student has been selected to be a Columbus Marathon Patient Champion. Stevenson Elementary kindergarten student Tayla Riddle will be the Mile #20 Patient Champion during the Nationwide Children's Columbus Marathon.
Her parents were devastated. Their beautiful, carefree little girl
had a congenital, progressive neurological disease.
Currently, there is no cure. Patients with Batten disease experience cognitive impairment, loss of developmental milestones, epilepsy and sight impairments. But with treatment, physicians and researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital are working to slow down the progression of the disease and move closer toward finding a cure.
In April 2017, Tayla’s family packed their house and relocated thousands of miles away from Australia to Columbus, Ohio, in hopes of increasing Tayla’s quality of life and to someday receive news of a cure.
“It was the biggest move of our lives, but the most important one,” says Tayla’s mother, Bobbie. “We have never been more impressed by the professionalism, care and support that the staff and doctors provide at Nationwide Children’s. It is an amazing facility and we are so lucky to have this opportunity.”
Nationwide Children’s is a designated Center of Excellence by the Batten Disease Support and Research Association (BDSRA), the largest research and support organization in North America for families that have children with Batten disease. Chosen because of its clinical and research history with the disease and its ability to provide comprehensive care for these unique children, Nationwide Children's is one of only a handful of organizations in the U.S. with this designation.
Tayla and her family visit the hospital multiple times each week for treatments and professional services. When Tayla’s older brother Kai comes along, he loves visiting the Sibling Clubhouse, a special place for preschool and school-aged children to play, learn and cope while their siblings are in the hospital.
Although she has an enormous battle ahead of her, Tayla is a beautiful, vibrant, loving five-year-old girl who doesn’t let anything stop her from lighting up the room with her smile – especially if there’s music playing that she can dance along to. A champion and a warrior, Tayla will motivate and inspire participants of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & 1⁄2 Marathon to keep going, keep trying and keep smiling.
Tayla and her family visit the hospital multiple times each week for treatments and professional services. When Tayla’s older brother Kai comes along, he loves visiting the Sibling Clubhouse, a special place for preschool and school-aged children to play, learn and cope while their siblings are in the hospital.
Although she has an enormous battle ahead of her, Tayla is a beautiful, vibrant, loving five-year-old girl who doesn’t let anything stop her from lighting up the room with her smile – especially if there’s music playing that she can dance along to. A champion and a warrior, Tayla will motivate and inspire participants of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & 1⁄2 Marathon to keep going, keep trying and keep smiling.
To help fund the lifesaving research and care taking place at Nationwide Children’s, marathon and ½ marathon participants are encouraged to fundraise as “Children’s Champions.” 2018 marks the seventh year the hospital is the title beneficiary of the marathon, receiving a total of $7 million, including $800,000 from the Columbus Marathon Board of Directors.
Corporate or community organizations interested in becoming a partner in 2018 may contact Morgen Spon with the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation at (614) 355-5419. To read more about the marathon Patient Champions and to support Nationwide Children’s, please visit Give.NationwideChildrens.org/Marathon-Patient-Champions
The 39th Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon is Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 7:30 a.m. at North Bank Park. It is one of the Top 20 marathons in the United States. For more information, visit www.columbusmarathon.com.