GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Roseli Quakkelaar has been a lifelong runner— with lots of 5K's and even a few 25K's under her belt. And in the last two years, she's taken on a new challenge; running 5K's while pushing her daughter's stroller.
Natalie, Roseli's youngest child, was born with TAR, Thrombocytopenia with absent radius. She spent most of the first year and a half of her life at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital but is now a happy and healthy toddler.
When signing up for the Amway River Bank Run 5K Roseli noticed that it said strollers were not allowed. When she asked why, the organization said that they would make an exception only if completely necessary. She believes that Natalie should be able to be with her during the race just like any other parent can run with their child.
"I don't want her to just be satisfied with something because that's all she can do. She can do so much more She has proven to everybody that she can be so much and do so much when they said day in and day out that she wasn't going to be able to do anything," said Roseli. "That really drove me just to really understand that this was something I needed to do not only for myself but for Natalie."
They hope they can change some of the guidelines for the race and other events to be more inclusive for kids like Natalie.
"Natalie is a one-of-a-kind little girl but there are so many other children who are one-of-a-kind little kiddos," explained Roseli. "It's not just Natalie that need a voice, it's all of these little kids. It's all of these babies and adults. They need to see this, they don't believe that they can do it, but everyone has the ability it's just how you do it."
This will be the 5th race that the duo run together with many more planned in the future. Roseli and Natalie's grandfather take turns pushing her stroller and running alongside her while she smiles with joy.
