Why run?
In 2014, Jim Higgins and his wife, Steph, lost one of their twin boys, Brody, as a result of Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome. At 28 weeks, Jim and Steph had to make the difficult decision to continue to carry both boys in hopes that Brody’s twin brother would make it to full term.
The condition occurs when there is an imbalance of blood flow between the twins in the womb. This syndrome occurs when twins share a placenta (called a “monochorionic pregnancy”) and one twin receives too much blood and the other too little.
This year, Jim is running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon with Team Advocate to give back to the people who were able to save his surviving son, Carter.
Today, Carter, now 5, is perfectly healthy and off to kindergarten this fall. His little brother, Cooper, 3, loves spending time with his big brother.
“Through our journey, we have met people who are truly angels,” Jim says. “The doctors, nurses, social workers, ultrasound technicians, custodial staff and volunteers who helped us through this difficult time are people who will never know how deep our appreciation runs.”
Watch a short video about Jim’s journey below. To help Jim cross the finish line on October 13, click here.
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About the Author
Kelsey Sopchyk, health enews contributor, is a media relations coordinator at Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care. She earned her BA in journalism and mass communications from the University of Iowa. In her spare time, you can find Kelsey tending to her plant children, trying new sushi restaurants in Chicago and cheering on the Cubs.
