Cross Runner's Heart

Eleanor Mae I t’s been some time since I’ve written on here — But today feels right.  Each of our children has had a special blog post to mark a moment, a milestone, or just something on my came out on paper after thinking about it on a typical 10 mile run in the country or down the local bike trail. Noah had his. Juliana and Mateo had theirs. And now it’s Eleanor’s turn — our sweet seven-month-old daughter, our little light.   Riehm Gaggle Jana and I were married in 2014, which feels like both yesterday and a lifetime ago. We’ve now crossed the ten-year mark — and somewhere between wrestling with kids car seats, bedtime stories, X-rays, ultrasounds, scraped knees, and sleepless nights, I blinked and found myself surrounded by four children and more grace than I could’ve ever imagined. And so, as another school year approaches, we not only celebrate each other, but we also look around and feel deeply — and joyfully — that God has completed our family. Of course, it seems only ...

Anna Maggie Shollenberger Riehm-Hill Sitting on a hilltop overlooking the Sandusky River, my grandparent's home is very fitting for their last name, Gerry and Anna Hill.  Most visitors would agree, the room with the most nostalgia is the den.  A multi-purpose room with a giant picture window that looks down the hill and towards the river below.  I can see it in my mind's eye, being there as a young boy.  As soon as you enter the room, a comfortable Lazy-boy is positioned perfectly to soak up a lot of time, and a lot of memories.  Sitting there, you can easily grab one of the many books on the shelf that lined the entire wall beside it. You can see trophies and other The den bookshelf  achievements displayed.  Artwork, especially wood carvings and paintings, decorate the room.  A pastime of both my grandparents was finely detailed, elegant wood carvings that were started and finished by their hands.  My grandfather being the master woodcarver,...

"Round 3, FIGHT!"  It sounds like the arcade game, Mortal Kombat . (A nod to those of us who were teenagers in the 90's).  I was never allowed to have a video game as a kid (thanks, Mom) but I did occasionally sneak away to the arcade tent at the county fair.  There was the game, Mortal Kombat, where you could joystick fight your opponent with your special character.  The match always started with the round number and then "FIGHT".  The ending would always be the "Finishing Move".   Noah, preparing for Round 2 I've been thinking a lot about Noah's 3rd and final "round", in the trio of staged surgeries that are now the standard of care for HLHS.  After a brutal first time in the ring (I guess operating table, rather), I'm remember being out on a run somewhere and my mind got to thinking about Noah's nicknames.  Maybe it's a dad-thing to rhyme their kid's names, but somehow Noah "Rocky Balboa" stuck in my head...

I've had another long pause between blog posts.  A lot has happened since the last time.  I would like to get back to writing more posts that people can connect with and be inspired.  My hope is I can encourage others to run boldly towards the Cross.   This is what I felt called to do when I first started www.CrossRunnersHeart.com .  I've realized all of this has helped me in my path forward as well, and writing has been cathartically rewarding.  This post is mostly going to be a family update.    Trip to Niagara Falls We have a new addition to the family and now are a proud family of five!  Last month, we brought our son, Mateo, home.  It was a long wait but well worth it.  Jana and I started a long process of international adoption two years ago.  I have to give Jana a ton of credit.  She was the paperwork wizard, completing piles of paper that needed notarized and mailed.  With Jana's Colombian heritage, we ch...

It's been awhile since my last post and recently, have been thinking of new topics during my runs.   I have two toddlers running around--making time in short supply.  Noah turns two years old on June 9th!  We also have a new addition to the family, Coach-- our little puppy.  He is 10 weeks old and just returned from a stay at Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital.  Unfortunately, he contracted Parvovirus and developed a severe infection within a day of arriving to his new home.  After some fairly aggressive medical care, which included two fecal transplants (yes, crazy as that sounds), he seems better.  Coach had a nasogastric tube like Noah did just after birth.  Thankfully, they were able to remove it and he is now eating independently. Jana and the kids are elated.  I'm warming up to the furry little thing.  Toddlers and a puppy, now I really feel like an adult!  Many people wonder, myself included, how does one juggle a...

Happy Mother's Day!  Thanks for believing!  Growing up on the farm meant lots of barnyard time and playing any type of game my brothers and I could come up with.  My older brother, Phil, was a relentless competitor.  I don't exactly remember if it was soccer or kickball that led to my front tooth being knocked out but I think the story goes like this: I  pitched a ball to Phil and he was ready to knock it out of the park.  Instead, that ball came back to me.  Straight at my face.  I remember feeling something fly out of my mouth.  My ever so caring brother came over to investigate.  "Dude, you chipped your tooth".  Me: "I didn't chip my tooth, you did!"  Anyways, this is the type of shenanigans that my parents enjoyed growing up with three boys.   After my tooth incident, my mother was truly caring.  We went to the dentist, and since I already had two big buck teeth, and one was chipped, I guess it made sense jus...

We managed to get Juliana and Noah off to bed early on New Years Day.  I was excited to see an email inbox full of Heart Warrior Half Marathon participant finisher photos and comments but too overwhelmed to check them.  A rare occasion, we instead decided to watch a movie and I almost made it through the whole thing before falling asleep, which would have been even more rare.  I had seen  Something the Lord Made  before.  A true, inspirational story that details the work of researchers at Johns Hopkins on congenital heart disease (CHD).  During this era (mid 1900's), the heart was an organ that was notorious for causing complications if disturbed.  The latin phrase,  noli me tangere was   commonly used among cardiothoracic surgeons-- meaning, do not touch the heart during surgery.  The surgeons that broke conventional thinking, developed techniques that gave children a chance at life.  Today, the same surgical principles ...

A black ice start! The freezing rain peppered my windbreaker jacket and my running shoes slid a little bit with each step down the driveway.  It's New Year's Day 2021, day of the Heart Warrior Half Marathon!   WHY  would I decide to do something crazy like this? It seemed like a good idea last Fall, when we had beautiful running weather here in Ohio. Everything was uncertain in 2020`, so I should have expected that we would be confronted with some of the most challenging weather a runner can face for this event.   With my earbuds paired to my phone, I joined a call to my running friend, Matt, a college teammate with whom I have shared thousands of miles.  He was running the Heart Warrior Half Marathon virtually that day and we decided to link up for the first time by phone during a run together.  During our runs, our topics of conversation have greatly varied over the past couple decades.  We no longer have the same discussions that one would...

As the year 2020 comes to a close, I would like to invite you to a New Year's Day challenge -- The Heart Warrior Half Marathon.  Enjoy this latest blog post and if you haven't done so already, sign up for the free virtual running/walking event on the  Cross Runners Heart home page . If you have already signed up, invite a friend!  It was a crisp, 62 degrees on a sunny Fall day.  My feet felt light on the flat blacktop of Ohio's Richland County B&O trail-- a frequent running route for me.  My mind drifted from topic to topic.  Noah's upcoming second open heart surgery was at the forefront of my thoughts, while my lungs sucked in the cool air.  My mind shifted to think about why I had started www.crossrunnersheart.com. Asking "why" can be such a powerful question.        My Fall running in Virginia (not Ohio, but you get the picture) As I trotted the path that day, a flight of ideas came rushing in. Suddenly, I realized there...

Sign up for the New Year's Day free virtual running/walking event on the Cross Runners Heart home page With this post, we would like to especially thank the University of Michigan  Congenital Heart Team.  Post #14 Waves of Hope Noah loudly cries out.  After 30 minutes, I'm at a loss as to how to console him.  I have tried everything, but why is he still crying?  Just then, Jana comes in the room and we decide a nice "stroll" around the unit may help.  To this point, his labs and numbers have "normalized" with discharge studies pending.  Not bad for post operative day five.  We would like to think Noah is one tough boy, but we also know the contribution of the medical staff at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital has played in his success.  We have received world-class care here and are very thankful.  The second open heart surgery (HemiFontan Operation) recovery has been a little easier on us - perhaps we are just use...