Girl Raises Funds for New York Hospital That Saved Her Great-Grandfather
A 10-year-old girl from the Capital Region is lacing up her sneakers to honor her family legacy rooted in resilience, recovery, and gratitude.
Audrey, a passionate young distance runner, is raising funds for Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady. Sunnyview is a place that holds deep meaning for her family. While Audrey is too young to tell the full story herself, her mother Cristie, shared their family's powerful connection to the hospital on Audrey's fundraising page. It's a connection that dates back nearly a century.
Audrey’s great-grandfather, born in Albany in 1936, was diagnosed with polio around his fifth birthday. Like many children in the region during that time, he was sent to Sunnyview, which was then a children’s orthopedic hospital primarily treating polio patients.
“He spent time in the Iron Lung," Cristie shared. "Then when he graduated from that, he spent time with the doctors and nurses, essentially learning how to live again. Walk, run, play, and learn.”
After recovering, he went on to graduate high school, marry, raise a family, and work for New York State. But he never forgot the place that helped him heal. When he retired, he returned to Sunnyview as a volunteer, working at the front desk to welcome others, just as he had once been welcomed.
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Cristie, too, followed in his footsteps. As a teen, she joined the hospital’s Junior Volunteer program, delivering mail to patient units and assisting therapists. Her first job at 16 was as a dietary aide in Sunnyview’s kitchen.
Cristie Rankin
Now, the next generation is stepping up.
“This year was the 11th anniversary of his passing” Cristie said, "and in turn we are asking that our donations (if possible) come in $11 increments."
Audrey’s love for running is matched by her determination to make a difference. Through her efforts, she’s not only raising funds for a hospital that has impacted her family for generations, but she’s also carrying forward a legacy of service, gratitude, and community spirit.
If you'd like to support Audrey and the Sunnyview in Motion 5k, visit her fundraiser page.
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