SJ5K 2020: Run as One 

2020 has started off pretty interesting. We all are asking questions about how we will get through these times. Well, SJ5K has an answer. We will fight as one. That’s right, the SJ5K is not canceled. You are probably thinking, we can’t have it because over 3,000 people go. You are exactly right. This year we will be running in our own neighborhoods. 

Every year on the first Sunday of May, people come to the high school football field. They wear green. Some cry, some laugh. This year everything will be different. Everyone will still run a 5k and register online but the big difference is that we will be running in our own neighborhoods, staying 6 feet apart at all times. We will still Run As One. 

The donations will go out to 5 people in Plymouth-canton. The first person is Greg Gorski. Greg suffers from liver failure and type-two diabetes. He had a liver transplant in February which was successful. He is the father of 3 children that all attended Discovery Middle school and Liberty Middle School. Greg is dependent on his children for car and mobility. His daughter Morgan is a type- one diabetic and the stress slowly takes its toll. 

Layana Szmansky is a 2-year-old girl who was born prematurely at 28 weeks. She has spent more time in the hospital than out and she has also spent every major holiday in the hospital. She has vocal cord paralysis, so speaking and breathing are difficult for her and hypotonic cerebral, causing her muscles to be overly weak. She goes to 3 therapies each week and needs to be fed through a G-tube. She loves Disney, especially Moana.

Greg Millevelle suffered from a heart attack while on a run in 2019. He suffered a brain injury due to being under oxygenation. He has limited control over his body and is in need of a great deal of therapy. He is a P-CEP alumni and both of his suns march for the P-Cep marching band. The Millevelle family loves video games and the University of Michigan.

Jonathan Suskiewicz was born with Spinal Bifida, which caused the spinal cord and spine not to fuse properly. He has no feeling from his midthigh down. As a child, he had to have many surgeries and he used a walking device. When he went to P-CEP he switched into a wheelchair.  Jonathan loves to play basketball competitively. He also does archery, tennis, and fishing. He is learning how to drive but he will need a special car with hand controls which presents some financial challenges. He continues to persevere. 

Mikey Rosowski is five years old. He attends Field Elementary school. In 2018 he developed Henoch-Scholnein Purpura (HSP) which caused the blood vessels to leak. HSP caused his body to lose the ability to retain moisture. Mikey soon went into kidney failure. He has seizures and requires constant care, that was provided by his loving mom Rachel. Mikey loves to watch Disney, his favorite movie is Toy Story.  Sadly, Mikey lost his mom to Stage Four pancreatic cancer in January of 2020. 

Register now at SJ5K.org. Will you run as one?