The Washington, DC area is full of amazing moms. There are working moms, stay-at-home moms, single moms, moms of multiples, foster moms, adoptive moms, etc. We want to highlight some of those moms like Madeline Runco. Each month we will feature one special mom as the Mom of the Month. Know a fellow amazing local mom here? Nominate them here!
Meet our September Mom of the Month: Madeline Runco
Madeline was born with a form of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) and underwent open-heart surgery at two years old to repair her heart. Despite the early setback, she has had a successful and happy life. In 2014, she met soulmate, James, on the DC Metro and they were married in 2019. Excited to expand their little family, they welcomed Alexander Augustus Runco in 2021. Joy mingled with anxiety as they found out, he also suffered from CHD and would need immediate invention. At just three days old, Alex underwent open heart surgery. He faced some setbacks and moments of fear but ultimately the procedure was a huge success!
Today, Alexander is a strong and healthy toddler. From the moment he wakes up, Alexander is ready to conquer a new day. He loves listening to music (The Backstreet Boys are one of his favorites), playing and cuddling with the cats, and running around outside. Despite being born during a pandemic, Alex is quite social, flirting, smiling and raising his eyebrows at everyone he meets. You would never know by looking at him the battle he faced. The only sign now is a scar on his chest, a zipper, that he shares with his Mommy.
Madeline serves as the DC Regional Lead and is co-chairing with her sister, the Washington DC Congenital Heart Failure Walk which is taking place at Wolf Trap National Park (1551 Trap Road Wolf Trap, VA) on September 24, 2023 9:00am – 12:30pm. Consider supporting her walk by either donating or joining their family on the walk! Sign up to donate to her page here: https://events.chfwalk.org/event/dc/account/1422451/. During the day, Madeline works for a Microsoft Alliance partner helping to increase opportunities and help clients move to the cloud.
Here is our Q&A with Madeline Runco
1. What ways do you teach your child about caring for and advocating for their body?
The importance of eating well and getting good exercise will help the heart grow strong and healthy. Also, as he gets older, knowing when to rest and give yourself a break will be also important.
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