Sarah Patterson

Update- Thank you

Tuesday 19th May

Throughout the month of May, I’ve been running with a purpose that is deeply personal to me, supporting the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the life-saving care and research they provide to children and families every single day.

Today, I’m incredibly proud to say I’ve reached 165km of my 250km goal for the Million Reasons Run. Every kilometre has carried meaning, emotion, gratitude, and reflection. And none of this journey would feel the same without the incredible support from everyone who has followed along, donated, encouraged me, and cheered me on throughout this month. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kindness means more than words can express.

A very special thank you to my dear friend Nada for embarking on this journey beside me and matching my kilometres every step of the way. Having someone willing to carry this with me has been such a gift.

Living life with a medically fragile child changes you forever. It reshapes who you are, how you think, how you love, and how you survive. There were so many moments along the way where I questioned myself, challenged everything, and felt like my best simply wasn’t good enough.

People often ask me, “How did you cope? How did you do it?”
The honest answer is — I didn’t. And trust me it took a village. 

When I look back on the earlier years of life with Everley, so much of it feels blurred by survival. I struggled for years with panic attacks, emotional dysregulation, and overwhelming fear. But somehow, every single day, I found the strength to keep fighting for her.

And through it all, Everley taught me something I could never have learned otherwise: resilience. She lit a fire inside of me fiercer than I could ever put into words.

There was a time when my heart simply could not accept the conversations around palliative care. Deep down, I knew she was made for so much more.

From being resuscitated hundreds of times… to becoming a straight-A student, a competitive dancer, a loving and nurturing big sister, and one of the kindest, most compassionate young people I know. Watching her grow has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Everley, thank you for being my motivation every single day. And I will say this for the rest of my life: you are the strongest human I know.

This run is about so much more than kilometres. It is about hope. It is about advocacy. It is about making sure families facing unimaginable challenges have access to the care, support, and research that can change and save  lives.

Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario has impacted countless families, including ours, and that is why raising money for this cause means so much to me. Every donation helps fuel critical research, compassionate care, and support systems that families desperately need during the hardest moments of their lives.

If sharing our story can help even one family feel less alone, then every vulnerable word is worth it.

Thank you for running alongside me, supporting this cause, believing in Everley, and helping make a difference. We still have kilometres left to go and I’ll carry every ounce of your support with me to the finish line.

Love Sarah 

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