Brookline resident to run Boston Marathon for David Ortiz Children’s Fund, inspired by own experiences as a child

Brookline resident John Christian will be running 26.2 miles for the first at time at the Boston Marathon this year, where he will be running for the David Ortiz Children’s Fund team. The Fund, which provides lifesaving heart surgeries and other pediatric care for children in New England and Ortiz’s native Dominican Republic, really touched Christian; the heartbreaking reality that there are children who do not have the means to receive treatment they need to survive inspired him use his bib as a platform to raise money and get behind a cause he felt passionate about.

As a child, Christian had his own medical issues which had him in and out of the hospital since the age of two where he underwent multiple surgeries. Fortunately, his family had the means to afford the necessary surgeries but he remembers meeting children during his time in and out of the hospital who were not as fortunate as he. Since he was a child, he’s always had an overwhelming feeling of wanting to help them but he was not sure how – until now.

Running the marathon is a display of heart and determination. Being a member of the David Ortiz Children’s Fund Running Team means that you will use that heart and determination to increase the number of lifesaving surgeries that are available to children. Each year, over 2,000 children in both New England and the Dominican Republic are born with congenital heart defects (CHD) and will require surgery. The cost for this life-saving surgery is $5,000, a number that is staggering to many families. The David Ortiz Children Fund works with MassGeneral Hospital for Children and the World Pediatric Project in identifying children in need of this critical care, and Christian is supporting this special mission during Big Papi’s first year of retirement where he’s continuing to dedicate his next chapter to helping children in need.

If you would like to donate to the David Ortiz Children’s Fund and help John Christian reach his fundraising goal, please visit his Crowdrise page at: https://www.crowdrise.com/DavidOritzChildrensFundBoston2017/fundraiser/johnchristian5