Reviewed by: Callie Puryear
Sign up today for the Red Shoe Run: Rockin’ 5K or 1 mile fun run—Saturday, April 15 at 8AM
Reading time: 5 minutes
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Although her pregnancy was normal, Hannah Smith had a feeling at 34 weeks that something just wasn’t right. She went in to UAB, had an emergency C-Section and welcomed her tiny daughter to the world that night. Keep reading for her story, the Ronald McDonald House in Birmingham’s role and how you can sign up for the April 15 Red Shoe Run today.
Know before you go—Red Shoe Run: Rockin’ 5K
- What: The Red Shoe Run: Rockin’ 5K, presented by McDonald’s, is an annual celebration of family, fundraising + awareness for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama (RMHCA), with music from Summit Media.
- Who: It’s family-friendly + accessible to those with mobility devices, strollers + all fitness abilities.
- BONUS: There’s a Snoozer option for those who don’t want to run or walk or won’t be in Birmingham that day.
- Goal: Raise $20,000 for 160 nights of comfort + care at the Ronald McDonald House + Ronald McDonald Family Room at UAB Women + Infants Center.
- When: Saturday, April 15, 8AM
- Where: 5K + 1 Mile Fun Run courses start + finish right outside the Ronald McDonald House.
- Get involved:
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Isla’s story
Isla (pronounced Eye-la)’s birthday would have been March 31. She was born six week premature, weighing only two pounds, nine ounces, which was very small for 34 weeks.
Mom Hannah hated being separated from her little one when she was in the NICU and was thrilled when her social worker told her they qualified to stay at the Ronald McDonald House.
So, when Isla was three or four days old, Hannah and her husband moved into the Ronald McDonald House. They thought they’d be there for six weeks.
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Ronald McDonald House was a safe harbor for the Smiths while Isla was in the hospital
The Smiths ended up living at Ronald McDonald House for five months. For four of those months, they didn’t know what was wrong with their daughter, who kept spiking fevers from invasive infections. Getting the calls that her care was being escalated was much less stressful since they could run over from across the street, and Hannah can’t imagine how she would have handled the stress of commuting back and forth to the hospital from home during that time.
After four months, Isla was the 45th patient in the world to be diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Mirage Syndrome. Most babies with this diagnosis are either stillborn or die before their first birthday.
Looking back, Hannah said that being able to grab a meal from the Ronald McDonald House kitchen, rest and take care of themselves was a lifesaver for her and her husband during Isla’s time in the NICU.
When she went back to work at UAB as a nurse practitioner, she loved the moments she could pop in and see Isla before her shift:
“I don’t know what I would have done without those moments—such sweet, tender moments with my daughter that I cherish so deeply now.”
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The Red Shoe Run helps families
Ultimately, Isla passed away in Hannah’s arms at seven months old. After she died, her family was lost and hurting. When they heard that RMHCA was hosting the Red Shoe Run the following April, they signed up immediately with a team called “Be Brave for Isla.”
“It set an amazing goal for my husband and me—it got me outside every day to run and exercise when all I wanted to do is crawl in a hole and die. I really don’t know where I’d be without that run right after she died. It was also really important for my family and my husband’s family. We got a chance to do something bigger than us.
Everyone at Ronald McDonald House was so loving, and they took such good care of us and our team. Now, my husband and I are starting our own nonprofit to serve bereaved families. I don’t think any of this would be possible if we hadn’t gotten the support after Isla’s death with the Red Shoe Run.”
Hannah Smith
Help raise $20,000 for 160 nights of comfort + care at the Ronald McDonald House + Ronald McDonald Family Room at UAB Women + Infants Center so families like Isla’s have a place to stay when they need it most. SIgn up to run or volunteer at the Red Shoe Run today.
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