Welcome to our Team Peyton's Promise fundraising page for the 2024 Race for Every Child. Each year, my family and I raise funds in honor of my older sister, Peyton, who was a neurosurgery patient at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC.

In the late summer of 2013, Peyton had begun having severe headaches and nausea that led us to a visit to the pediatrician during her first week of seventh grade.  In a matter of hours, our lives had quickly turned upside down. Peyton was diagnosed with a spontaneously ruptured arachnoid brain cyst, causing fluid to leak throughout her brain and creating high intracranial pressure.  The following months brought unforeseen challenges: extended stays between Children's and the National Rehabilitation Center, and seven invasive surgeries to relieve pressure and drain fluid. On December 11th, she was finally able to return home after a long  and difficult journey. Yet, there remained a tough road ahead as she embarked on months of physical therapy in order to regain the strength to walk and return to the activities she had been able to enjoy just several months prior.

 It's because of the incredible neurosurgeons and nurses who cared for my sister that she is now an ER nurse at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, embodying the role that made all the difference when she was on the other side.

We are forever grateful for the exceptional care Peyton received at Children's National Medical Center. Though we hope you never have to visit, there are no other hands in which you'd want to be in such a situation.

As we approach on eleven years since Peyton's time at Children's we are always reminded around this time to be thankful for our health, “someone is praying for the things we take for granted.” Those who know us understand how special Children's is and the enduring place it holds in our hearts. Thank you for supporting this cause, and we look forward to seeing you on race day!

With heartfelt thanks,

The Koberg Family