Live4Evan, the Hopkinton-based non-profit organization whose mission is to provide temporary housing for families of children with congenital heart disease, has built a team to run in the 2024 Falmouth Road Race on August 18th. The team has recruited 55 runners already, and with just a handful of bibs available, is asking for Hopkinton’s help to claim them.
Interested runners should contact Dave Krueger via email for more information.
Live4Evan and Evan Girardi
Live4Evan believes that parents shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and being by their child’s side while they undergo heart surgeries and other serious medical treatments. For this reason, they provide temporary housing to families who need to travel into the Boston area to treat their child with congenital heart disease.
Since March 2016, the organization has housed more than 120 families, with an average length of stay of 2 months. They currently support 6 apartments next to Boston Children’s Hospital for these families.
Live4Evan was started by Hopkinton residents Michael and Barbara Girardi, whose son Evan passed away unexpectedly in 2010. Evan was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) known as Corrected L-Transposition of the Great Arteries. Like many babies born with a CHD, Evan’s cardiac abnormality had gone undetected until delivery. Barbara and Michael were told that chances were high that their son wouldn’t make it to his first birthday unless he received major corrective surgery. Unfortunately at the time, this type of surgery did not yet exist.
In spite of the dire prognosis, Evan grew up to be a happy, bright, and active child who rarely showed any signs of having a heart defect. He was an avid sports fan who enjoyed hanging with friends and spending time with family. But by Evan’s senior year at HHS the complex defect had begun to have negative effects on his heart, and his doctors recommended he undergo open heart surgery.
Following the surgery, Evan spent 3 years receiving ongoing medical treatment. He continued living his life to the fullest despite having to spend many long nights in the hospital. He attended Loyola University, held summer internships at EMC, and studied abroad in Italy.
Sadly, on September 6, 2010, Evan died from a heart arrhythmia during his senior year at college. Rather than allow Evan’s passing to put an end to the life and legacy that Evan had built, his friends and family formed Live4Evan to serve as a testament to the power of relationships and the importance of having loved ones by your side.
