#5 Noah's Heart @ University of Michigan

     Why University of Michigan?  Well, just so you all know, I will always be a Buckeye at heart.  Yes, I did grow up in North West Ohio where there are some deep-rooted Ohio State Buckeye fans.  We were not far from the boundary line of the "state up north."  In a way, I am the "black sheep" of my family.  It seems everyone who headed to college, went to The Ohio State University.  Many of my family members also continued an agricultural pathway while attending Ohio State.   Me? --->  1) I went to a smaller NCAA Division I school in Ohio.  2) I studied something pretty different than most in the family.

    So how did the University of Michigan first impact me?  Growing up, a common saying in my community was "my two favorite teams are Ohio State and anyone who beats Michigan."  With that mentality, I was out to beat any of the Michigan runners when I represented Ohio at the 1999 Mid-East Cross Country Championships.  However, I suppose my first direct encounter with a Michigan Wolverine was in 2001 when our college cross country team flew to the University of Minnesota a few weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks for a huge invitational race.  In the crammed starting blocks, we were lined up to the Michigan Wolverines.  In the first 50 meters of a five mile race, a Wolverine runner fell and created a small pile-up of athletes.  A couple of my teammates went to the ground and I lost my stride to adjust to the chaos.  I can't remember for sure, but I want to say we were able to rally and beat a few of those Michigan runners. Maybe we didn't, but I just want to make you die hard Ohio State fans feel like we did. 

Graduation, University of Michigan 

     I can say the first positive impact the University of Michigan had on me was through Jana.  She was the honorary recipient of the University's Rackham Graduate Studies Scholarship in 2011 while I was just starting my career in medicine as an intern physician at Michigan State University.  

     Turns out, the University of Michigan is going to grant us another gift with Noah's Heart.  It seems crazy how life takes you down so many roads but sometimes the path returns to a previous destination.  I even bought my engagement ring for Jana in Ann Arbor, right by campus! 

     Because hypoplastic left heart syndrome, or HLHS, is rare and the specialization of the treatment team is so unique, there are very few medical centers that handle this condition.  Along our journey, we have been so very fortunate to have the guidance of many healthcare professionals.  Dr. Tyler Huggins (our primary obstetrician who first detected Noah's heart condition), Dr. Cheryl Clay (our pediatrician who has always been very diligent in our medical needs), Ohio State University Ob/Gyn (where we had our initial maternal fetal medicine consultations) and Nationwide Children's Hospital Heart Center (where we had several long conversations about options and expectations for Noah).  We did have a full report from Dr. Sarah Pickard at Harvard Medical School and virtual consultations with Texas and Boston Children's Hospital.  Ultimately, we were compelled by the vast knowledge and experience of the entire University of Michigan congenital heart team.  As we learned from the private HLHS Facebook groups, families are relocating to Ann Arbor, MI from all over to the country and world to have care at U of M, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.  It has been encouraging to connect with these families online and I hope we can find ways to support them in their journeys as well.

     If you are one that wears Ohio State scarlet and gray during that famous rival football game in November, I'm not asking you to wear the Michigan blue to support Noah. However, you can certainly wear red anytime (especially on National Wear Red Day to support heart patients all over the world)

     Thank you for the continued support for Noah's heart and my mission with www.crossrunnersheart.com