Danielle Tersigni’s daughter Isabella was only seven days old when she first came to The Hospital for Sick Children. While Isabella’s twin sister Olivia was a healthy baby, Isabella was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and has already had two successful heart surgeries at only six months of age. Tomorrow, Danielle and several of her friends will be thinking of Isabella when they run in the first annual Toronto 5K in support of SickKids.

“We could not have gotten through this experience without all the great doctors, nurses, surgeons and support staff at SickKids,” says Danielle. “I’ve never done anything like this in my life, but when I found out the run was for SickKids, I wanted to raise as much money as I could for the Hospital.”

To date, Danielle’s team has raised more than $2,000. Isabella will require another heart surgery in a few years.

Although recently diagnosed with oligodendroglioma, a rare form of brain cancer, 25-year-old Gerrad Downs doesn’t let that slow him down. He is also taking part in the Toronto 5K on Saturday.

“I’ve always liked running, I used to run in high school and it’s something that I really enjoy doing,” says Gerrad. “It’s been awhile since I’ve done an organized race but I’m looking forward to it.”

Although Gerrad has never visited The Hospital for Sick Children, he has always been inspired by what SickKids does and wanted to contribute to the cause.

The Toronto 5K is the city’s newest running event and takes place tomorrow, September 17 at St. Clair Avenue on South side at Sir Winston Churchill Park. The race begins at 8 a.m., and several hundred participants will run or walk the 5-km loop. The run is organized by Running First Ltd. and sponsored by Loblaws and the Running Room. and all funds raised will benefit SickKids.

UPDATE: Danielle and her friends finished the 5K last weekend and celebrated with Isabella: