Yesterday, Erik Sudnick finished the Boston Marathon, a big accomplishment for anyone but extra special for Erik and his family. A few years ago, his son Mason got sick and ended up at Boston Children’s Hospital, where the family began a long, uncertain chapter that would test just about everything – emotionally, physically, and financially.

The diagnosis wasn’t simple. Mason developed a severe bone density condition that doctors hesitate to call pediatric osteoporosis. He suffered from fragile bones, chronic pain, and fractures that could happen far too easily.

The Sudnicks lived about 100 miles from the hospital, so it meant figuring out how to stay close to the care he needed without everything else collapsing, and that’s where the Ronald McDonald House Charities of New England stepped in. Erik told us, “They’ve literally saved my family.” That’s why he ran 26.2 miles yesterday… to say thank you.

The Heart

Mason is making progress, but it’s sometimes slow going. The only way to build bone density is through intense physical therapy, which can be painful, repetitive, and relentless, but Mason isn’t giving up, and neither is his dad.

Erik and Mason started speaking at events, including at Boston Children’s Hospital itself. They helped raise money for the place that supported their family. Mason even gave up birthday gifts one year and turned it into a fundraiser for other families going through the same thing.

Running a marathon can be grueling, but Erik said, “When it gets tough, I think of Mason, what he goes through every day, and I find the strength to keep going. He is my why.”

The Journey

Not long ago, Erik wasn’t a distance runner. He was a soccer player, someone who could run, but not 26.2 miles. Then came a seven-mile charity race. Erik pushed Mason in a custom race cart the entire way. And at the end, Mason got out and walked across the finish line himself.

Yesterday morning, in chilly conditions, along with 30,000 other runners, Erik set off on an even bigger challenge: the Boston Marathon.

And when it got hard, as it does when running a race of this distance, Erik didn’t think about quitting. “I looked at it as a personal challenge, but also a way to give back to the House that has done so much for my family.”

Mason and his mom, Jaime, were at the finish line, and when Erik saw them he said he “welled up with such emotion, I came to tears. All the months of training and blood, sweat, and tears built up to this one incredible moment. It was one of the best, most memorable experiences of my life. Mason inspired me not only to run the race but to complete it in under four hours. That's the definition of inspiration in my eyes." It’s a moment you have to see.

By the end of the race, Erik had raised more than $22,000. That’s enough to provide 128 nights of housing for families who need to be near their children during medical crises. If you want to donate, there’s still time – click here.

The Takeaway

Erik finished the marathon, but it’s not really about running. It’s about what happens when a family gets help, and in addition to saying “thank you,” pays it forward… mile by mile. Erik says, “We are all-in on the Ronald McDonald House for the rest of our lives.”

If you’re someone who wants to do good, the Ronald McDonald House has endurance programs all over the country, marathons, races, events, just like the one Erik just finished. There are nearly 400 Ronald McDonald Houses around the world which means there’s probably one closer to you than you think.

Support it. Volunteer. Donate. Show up.

We want to congratulate Erik because he’s a do good guy and a good dad.

The Person Who Believed In Me

Dee Avriel Seidel wrote to me about her grandmother, Margaret Austin Haywood.

Dee told me her grandmother had spent decades serving Washington, D.C. as a lawyer, a member of the original D.C. City Council, and later as an Associate Justice of the D.C. Superior Court. She had even helped challenge segregation in restaurants in the 1950s.

And yet, Dee kept going to the National Museum of African American History and Culture and couldn’t find her. Not a photo. Not even a mention.

“I don’t have any other family left,” she wrote. “So this feels like my responsibility. To say her name.”

So we reached out to the Smithsonian. And this week, something changed.

The museum wrote back to say Margaret Austin Haywood will be featured on its homepage as part of its District Day celebration honoring D.C. Emancipation Day. A public acknowledgment. A place in the story.  

Most of us won’t have statues or buildings named after us, but we hope someone, somewhere, will remember what we did and why it mattered.

Dee did that for her grandmother. She spoke up. And because she did, more of us will now know the name, Margaret Austin Haywood.

Do you know someone whose legacy shouldn’t be forgotten? What are you doing about it?

This week’s newsletter reminded me of a poem that Oprah shared when I interviewed her on my podcast, The Person Who Believed In Me.

It’s a poem by Dr. Maya Angelou, called “Alone” from her book Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well. You can hear Oprah read the entire poem 12 minutes into the episode, but here is the repeated stanza:

“Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.”

It made me remember that we really do need each other. And when you think about the stories in this issue, you start to see it.

It’s as simple as taking someone along for the ride. Or pushing yourself mile after mile so someone else has a place to land. Or random acts of kindness. Don’t you think?