![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/12\/3-3-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThat hard work has paid off in a big way. Run the Maple 2024 hosted 215 adults and kids in the 5K, the accompanying mile walk, and the virtual run and raised over $40,000 for research. In the past four years, the race and SSR\u2019s Tee Off for TFP fundraiser have raised around $350,000, all of which goes directly to Vockley\u2019s research.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne hundred percent of the proceeds go straight to research there \u2014 nothing else,\u201d Burch said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because of TFP\u2019s rarity, Sawyer\u2019s Race for Research is one of the only organizations working for its cause. Burch said it is primarily their donations that have kept Vockley\u2019s research going. Burch\u2019s passion has spread as well. This year, two other families held their own 5Ks for TFP \u2014 one in\u00a0Wisconsin and one in England. That isn\u2019t the only good news in the race for a cure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis year is even more exciting because we got the news in September at Sawyer\u2019s check-up with his specialist that he has gene-replaced mice,\u201d Burch said. \u201cThis is a cure for Sawyer. So we are on the cusp of changing the world and being able to eradicate this terrible disorder.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One success isn\u2019t the end of the journey, however. The process has to be followed again with exact specifications, and much testing remains. While Vockley is working toward getting grants and funding back, SSR is there to fill the gap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It hasn\u2019t been easy keeping the nonprofit running. With no fundraising experience, Burch had to start from scratch. She overcame a lot of anxiety about being honest with people and asking for donations, but others have encouraged her not to worry. Most people want to help \u2014 they just may not know where. Burch said the response has been amazing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have been overwhelmed with the kindness of strangers in Bowling Green, and I think that\u2019s a testament to the people of Bowling Green as well,\u201d Burch said. \u201cI\u00a0just try [to] be honest \u2014 we\u2019re parents just fighting for a cure.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a learning process, and the family has made mistakes, but Burch said they will keep trying to share Sawyer\u2019s story as best they can. Even if someone cannot give, Burch covets prayers of protection as the fight for a cure continues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The real superhero through all this is Sawyer himself. Doctors diagnosed him late at 4 years old, and Burch said they didn\u2019t know how he survived without treatment. Sawyer is still defying the odds, and his genetics have helped the path toward a cure. Even more incredibly, his spirit has never wavered. He is an inspiration to anyone going through long-term illness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe just has the best attitude despite everything he has to go through, and I\u2019m just constantly amazed by his strength,\u201d Burch said. \u201cGod has protected him thus far, and I think Sawyer is going to do great things for this whole community.\u201d GN <\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Runners lace up their shoes, stretch their legs, and pace themselves for the race they are about to run. At the annual Run the Maple 5K, those runners might spend half an hour running through the tall trees and gorgeous landscape of the Maple Retreat. Race organizer Katie Burch is running a different race \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":26075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/12\/1-6-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n