Our Story by Jeff Roche, Monday Night Mile founder
The short version is that Akron Children’s Hospital saved our son’s life. Just seven years old when he was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, and bizarrely unpredictable form of kidney cancer, the doctors and nurses at Akron Children’s treated him over two years. Their creative scientific genius and collaboration with doctors all over the world helped them unlock a treatment to what was a very strange medical mystery. I’m proud to say that our son just graduated from college.
We speak from experience when we say that Akron Children’s is a place of love and caring. Over 20+months, we probably spent half our nights on a makeshift bed in our son’s room and half again as many days in the hospital. From that vantage, we not only received the tender and comforting care of the doctors, nurses, staff, and volunteers of ACH, but witnessed countless acts of compassion and devotion. Because you see, children’s hospitals not only heal hurt and sick children, but tend to terrified and wounded families.
We created the Monday Night Mile in 2018 as a way to give back to this amazing and important institution. And to raise money and awareness for children’s hospitals everywhere. From a first year event thrown together in a couple of weeks we have grown into a must-do event in Wooster. In 2021, the Monday Night Mile became an official nonprofit organization. Over our first five years, we have donated over $40,000 to the Akron Children’s Hospital Foundation.