I am running in the Disney Princess Half Marathon for Anna Cate, a beautiful girl that is bright and loving but struggles every day with Rett Syndrome.

Rett Syndrome is a devastating neurological disorder that another baby girl is born with every 90 minutes. These girls are robbed of their ability to speak, walk, crawl or use their hands. They depend on others for every part of their day. Complications include seizures, sudden death in their sleep and scoliosis.

Anna Cate and her family have been our neighbors and friends since moving to Richmond 8 years ago. At that time they were struggling to learn what was causing Anna Cate to have so many developmental challenges. She had started out developing normally as an infant and toddler, but began to fall behind in many areas. When her family finally received the diagnosis of Rett Syndrome their mission became to find a cure. Girl Power 2 Cure is helping raise awareness and support for exciting research that very well could reverse the effects of this disorder on Anna Cate and millions of other little girls out there like her!

There is hope that this really could be the first reversible neurological disorder, not only unlocking the door for Anna Cate and the other little girls with Rett, but helping to unlock the door for other neurological disorders that plague millions of others.