Brotherly Love: Broad Street Rerun For Hemophilia
LANSDALE, Pa. (CBS) -- If you're a runner, you know registration is closed for the big Broad Street race, but there's another Broad Street run you may not have known about, and it's helping a young boy with a life-threatening disease.
Alex Rowe, 8, seems like a typical boy who loves video games and playing. But when he plays, he's got to be very careful.
"It's very much more dangerous-er," said Alex.
Alex has a rare bleeding disorder, called Type 3 von Willebrand Disease. He could die from a scraped knee or a nose bleed.
"I know many people I've met in the years have said to me, 'Oh, I thought hemophilia was cured,' and it's not," said Alex's mother, Christine Rowe.
Alex wears a medic alert bracelet in case of an emergency. His medications can cost $35,000 a month.
"The only thing you can think of is how in the world are you going to pay for this?" she said.
Now, the whole family is training for a run. The Broad Street Rerun in Lansdale is named after the famous Broad Street Run, but this one is to raise money for hemophilia.
Bob Babb helped Christine start the run after meeting Alex and learning about von Willebrand disease.
"The community needs to be educated on what it means and not to be scared of it," Babb said.
Christine's goal is to one day find a cure, but until then, she'll keep running and raising awareness for Alex and others like him.
"Alex's wish was that he wouldn't have nosebleeds anymore, and that's my wish too," Christine said.
The Broad Street Rerun is Saturday, May 14 in Lansdale. There's a 5-mile run, a 5-mile family walk, or a half-mile kids run.
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Reported by Dave Huddleston, CBS 3
