Cassidy Munger of Ada, who will run her second Gazelle Girl Half-Marathon on April 13 in downtown Grand Rapids, says her infant niece’s “devastating diagnosis” and death from SMA Type 1 (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) taught her that even when times are difficult, wearing a smile helps her believe in the hope of brighter days.
Cassidy’s personal story was selected as the winning entry in Terryberry’s “More than metal; what the Gazelle Girl charm means to me” contest, earning the Ada runner a VIP Gazelle Girl Charm manufacturing tour at Terryberry on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 10 a.m.
As part of Cassidy’s tour, the 2014 Gazelle Girl charm will be unveiled. Terryberry, a global recognition company, is once again hand-crafting approximately 4,000 sterling silver charms- one for each Gazelle Girl Half-Marathon finisher.
Here’s Cassidy’s Winning Story:
“I crossed the finish line with my sister by my side. We were inspired by a memory, by hope, and although there were moments we wanted to quit, we pushed our way to the finish. Like the past three years, we accomplished it TOGETHER and reminded eachother to SMILE along the way! You see, Anaya Kathryn, my niece, taught us that no matter the duration of the journey, to keep a SMILE on our faces and lean on one another. At only 13 months old, Anaya entered her eternal home after a devasting diagnosis of SMA Type 1. Engraving the word SMILE on the back of my treasured Terryberry charm reminds me that during a run, just as in LIFE, we are on a journey that is best lived having loved every step rather than regretting never have taken those steps at all.” - Cassidy, Gazelle Girl 1/2 Marathon Finisher from Ada, Michigan
Terryberry serves more than 25,000 clients throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Family-owned for four generations, Terryberry specializes in employee appreciation programs and employee recognition products, gifts and services to keep employees engaged and motivated and companies growing in positive directions. For more information, please visithttp://www.terryberry.com.