Dr. Harpham-Barlia makes emergency veterinary medicine look easy. She's also got a huge heart for humans. This July 31st, she will be running the San Francisco Marathon (again) and is training and competing to raise funds for the Nayeli Faith Foundation, a foundation that raises awareness for congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
The first child of my friends Shane and Elizabeth was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. This is where the diaphragm does not form correctly and the abdominal organs can travel up into the chest cavity and compress the lungs and impact their development. This defect can occur in 1 in 2500 births and it can cause chronic respiratory problems and even death. Thankfully, Nayeli is doing well. Shane and Elizabeth started the Nayeli Faith Foundation to increase awareness of this problem and to help support families faced with this diagnosis. I was asked to join the team running the San Francisco Marathon on July 31. Yep, running a marathon is difficult, but even more difficult is living with chronic respiratory problems or learning that your child has a serious birth defect. No donation is too small and funds go to a local organization.
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