Charity run raises awareness of deadly childhood condition

A deadly, little known condition -- called Sudden Unexplained Death in Children -- took strides Saturday in gaining awareness among young families and the medical community.

The second annual Joshua's Run for a Reason raised money and visibility for the condition, at its 5K run and 2K family fitness walk that took place Sunday in Arlington Heights.

In all, nearly 500 supporters turned out, including 100 runners, another 100 volunteers, and 300 children and young family participants.

Angel Saenz, 39, of Franklin Park was the overall 5K winner, with a time of 18 minutes and 49 seconds, while Leah Davis, 23, led the women's draw with a time of 21:55.

But the event went beyond posting the best finishes.

Working behind the scenes of the event were Rob and Diane Burda of Arlington Heights, who lost their seemingly healthy 20-month old son, Joshua, to SUDC in 2004, when they put him down for a nap and he never woke up.

When they learned of his diagnosis, they had never heard of the condition, and now as much as they are working to raise money to find a cure, they also want to raise its visibility.

"We're where SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) was 25 years ago," Diane Burda says.

Sudden Unexplained Death in Children or SUDC is considered a cousin of SIDS, since it strikes children between the ages of 1 and 3, while SIDS affects infants up to 12 months. SUDC also is much more rare, striking roughly one in 100,000 children.

During last year's run, the Burdas drew three other affected Chicago area families to participate, and this year they drew two more.

"That's what we're hoping for, to reach out to other families, and develop a support network," Diane Burda adds.

Joshua's Run For A Reason was one of several held across the country to raise money for the SUDC Program, based in Hackensack, N.J.

Its events fund a research program in San Diego, while also funding advocacy programs aimed at raising awareness in the medical community and with medical examiners.

To find out more, visit www.sudc.org