My friend Ali is awesome.  Part mom, part superhero, part fabulous and all awesome.

She has a story that will bring ya to tears.  However, she doesn’t wallow in the tears.  She faces fear, stares it down and kicks it’s butt.

A few years back, Ali’s sweet son, AJ, was in a terrible choking accident at his day care.  There was a dr. that didn’t give Ali and her husband much hope.  But he reckoned with the wrong family.  Curt, Ali and big sister Bella weren’t about to let AJ go.  And AJ?  True superhero that he is, survived.  Didn’t live in a vegetative state like that stupid dr said he would.

Nope, this amazing family took that little baby from the brink and loved him back to a different life than they’d previously envisioned for him.  AJ rocks some sporty wheels to get around now and he lives life a little differently than others.  But that doesn’t stop him from playing baseball.  Or living life and having fun.

The Ambroso family doesn’t give up.

One of the things that Ali did after the initial trauma and horror of what happened with AJ was to get herself physically fit by running.  She just started running one day.  She lost weight, got fit and started running 1/2 marathons.  Running to be healthy.

She doesn’t run just for herself.  Each year Ali picks a charity and all donations for her run go to that charity.  This year Ali is running for “Team for Kids”.  She’s all about helping kids live a healthy life.  Ali, like me, was a chubby kid.  She remembers what it was like and doesn’t want other kids to go through it.  So she’s about to run the New York Marathon and give her donations to TfK.

Here’s a little blurb from Ali’s site to tell you about TfK:

“Team for Kids is a team of volunteers who raise funds for critical services provided by New York Road Runners Youth Programs. These programs combat childhood obesity via running and character-building programs in low-income schools and community centers in New York City, throughout the country, and in South Africa.”

So, if you read this blog, I’m asking…BEGGING..more begging than I’d do for the prismacolor pens (yes it’s THAT important to me), for you to go visit Ali’s donation site HERE and donate a little bit.  Every little bit counts.  Help make the difference in a kids life.  And help encourage Ali as she runs a grueling race.  Let her know that you believe in what she’s doing to help kids, by throwing a little cash her way so that when she’s just about at the end of her endurance, she’ll remember how much money she’s got coming for kids who don’t even know who she is.  Help fund the run.