For Hope Bednarski, there’s a cherry on top of the fourth annual Run for Doris this year: the Brain Aneurysm Foundation announced in July that it is funding a $15,000 research grant in the name of Bednarski’s late mother, Doris Connor, for whom Bednarski founded the charity race.
Christoph J. Griessenauer, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, Mass., has been awarded the $15,000 Doris A. Connor Memorial Chair of Research grant. The Connor grant is among $260,000 in research grants the foundation has awarded this year, the highest amount in BAF history.
“Since my race is one of the ones that’s been doing well, we were chosen,” Bednarski said of the honor. “It’s pretty cool. I’m very excited about that this year.”
Bednarski, a former guidance counselor who lives in Cicero, started the race in her mother’s memory in 2012 to benefit the BAF. Last year, Run for Doris raised $16,000, a goal Bednarski hopes to beat for this year’s race, which takes place Sept. 20 at Oneida Shores in Brewerton.
“I’m happy with just being able to beat that amount,” Bednarski said.
The annual Run for Doris includes a 5K race, 1-mile walk and half-mile kids’ fun run. This year, the race will be professionally timed by Leone Timing & Results Services, which will outfit each runner’s bib with a timing chip.
Helping hand
“She always went out of her way to help others, and that’s something I try to do now through this — spread awareness,” Bednarski recalled of her mother.
The race is Bednarski’s way to give back in the same spirit that Doris did throughout her life.
Run for Doris’ goal is to raise money and educate people about brain aneurysms, or weak spots in arteries in the brain. An aneurysm may not cause any symptoms until it ruptures, though one warning sign is “the worst headache of your life,” according to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation.
An estimated 6 million Americans live with unruptured brain aneurysms, and 30,000 people suffer a rupture each year. Forty percent of people with a ruptured aneurysm will die, and of those who survive, two-thirds may have permanent neurological problems.
“It’s something you can be born with, and you might not know you have it unless it ruptures,” Bednarski explained.
In late January 2003, while Bednarski was living in Georgia, Connor called in sick to her job as a registered nurse for CNY Developmental Services. The next day, she didn’t call, but never showed up, which was highly unusual for the woman her daughter describes as hard-working. Bednarski’s sister went to check on their mother and found her disoriented at home.
While at Upstate University Hospital, Connor seemed to improve and was awake and talking to her family. Bednarski rushed home to Central New York from Georgia.
Despite this brief glimpse of progress, neurosurgeons said the location of Connor’s ruptured aneurysm meant a low chance of survival. After surgery and bouts of rehab, Connor died at age 59, five months after her aneurysm ruptured.
“She was very active and healthy, so we thought,” Bednarski said. She said her mother worked out and ate a balanced diet. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do to prevent or detect the aneurysm.
The race is on
Bednarski got the idea of starting an aneurysm awareness race after attending a similar event for breast cancer. Her family and friends supported her, and she’s garnered donations from local businesses, including sponsorships from Stewart’s Shops and Kiki’s Authentic Greek Food.
For Bednarski, Run for Doris is also a way to teach her two children about their late grandmother, whom they never had the chance to meet.
“She was always a very positive person who would always say, ‘Don’t give up — keep trying,’” Bednarski recalled. “We try to keep her memory alive.”
Bednarski said losing her mother has taught her to live in the moment and appreciate her loved ones even more.
“You can’t get time back,” she said.
Participants of Run for Doris will have a chance to enter several prize drawings. The grand prize is a package of two tickets to see “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway, a backstage tour and hotel accommodations.
In addition to the run and walk, the event will feature activities for kids, such as face painting and a bounce house.
“It’s a fun family day,” Bednarski said.
The fun doesn’t end at the finish line; Borio’s Restaurant in Cicero is hosting the after-party.
The Doris A. Connor Memorial Walk/Run for Brain Aneurysm Awareness takes place at 9 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, at Oneida Shores Park, 9400 Bartel Road, Brewerton.
Registration for the 5K run and one-mile walk costs $30. Children can register for the fun run for $10, which will get them a ribbon and chocolate milk for their participation. Kids also get a free jump pass to the Get Air trampoline park in Cicero.
To register, visit give.bafound.org/2015DorisConnor or sign up on the day of the event. For more information, check out runfordoris.com or like Doris A. Connor Memorial Walk/Run for Brain Aneurysm Awareness on Facebook.
