Family Celebrates 3-Year-Old's Recovery at Race for Every Child

This Saturday, Brooke and Matt Rupert will participate in the Race for Every Child 5K run/walk for the third time. This year, the Ruperts also celebrated their daughter Remi’s third birthday—a milestone the couple was unsure they would be able to experience when Remi was first born.

Brooke and Matt knew early in their pregnancy that something was wrong. At their 12-week appointment, their doctor saw fluid in their unborn child’s lungs. When the fluid hadn’t dissipated at 28 weeks, they turned to the specialists at Children’s National, who discovered their baby had lymphangiectasia, abnormal markings on the surface of the lungs. Even with today’s medical advancements, the success rate for treating this condition is just over 50 percent.

But the Ruperts and the team at Children’s National never gave up hope. Born at the Ruperts’ local hospital unable to breathe or eat on her own, Remi was rushed to Children’s National, where the family endured a tumultuous 14-week stay. As hard as it was, the Rupert family credits Children’s National with making a difficult time a bit easier thanks to the energy the staff put into Remi’s care and the support they provided the whole family.

"Children's treated Remi like one of their own,” Brooke said. “I felt like she was more than a patient. They wanted to see her succeed and be healthy." Now, thanks to the world-class care she received, Remi (who celebrated her third birthday in February) will be with her parents and brother at Satruday’s Race for Every Child, where every dollar raised has a direct impact on the care Children’s National provides sick and injured children.

“The Race for Every Child is incredible—seeing so many people come out and support us and Children’s National is amazing,” Brooke said. "Children's means a lot to us because of all they've done for us and continue to do. The mission of raising money for the hospital is an important one, for us and for the whole community."

Thanks to the efforts of the Ruperts and thousands of patient families, Children’s National staff, and community members who support the Race for Every Child each year, more kids will be able to benefit from the world-class care Remi and her family received.

Visit RaceForEveryChild.org to make a gift today for kids like Remi.