Why I’m Running the Empower Walk 5K – Washington, DC
In April, I will be in Washington, DC participating in the Empower Walk 5K as part of Autism Speaks Hill Day.

But I’m not just running a race.
I’m running for my daughters.
I’m running for families who are drowning quietly.

I’m running because caregiving is invisible work — and it is breaking families financially, emotionally, and physically.

I left the professional world I worked hard to build because my children’s needs were not something I could outsource. Therapies, IEP meetings, medical appointments, safety planning, emotional regulation — it became clear that someone had to be fully present.
So I chose them.

And that choice came with a cost.
Caregiving for children with disabilities is not just love and patience. It is insurance battles. It is waiting lists. It is navigating systems that were not built for your child. It is hypervigilance in parking lots. It is knowing your child may be misunderstood by the world before they are understood.

It is beautiful.

And it is exhausting.

I am raising funds because:
• Families need affordable therapies.
• Caregivers need support and respite.
• Doctors and therapists should be helping children — not fighting insurance companies all day.
• Safeguards must exist to prevent disability-based discrimination and criminalization.
• Policies need to reflect real families, not statistics.

When I go to DC, I will meet with legislators. I will tell them what caregiving actually looks like. I will bring stories, not just data.

Until my daughters can speak for themselves, I will be their voice.

Every mile I run represents a therapy session fought for.
A parking lot meltdown managed.
An IEP meeting survived.
A system navigated.

If you sponsor a mile, you are not just donating.
You are standing beside families like mine.
You are helping push policy forward.
You are helping ensure that children with disabilities are not left behind because the system is too complicated or too expensive to navigate.

I may be wearing rhinestones on Capitol Hill…
But I am bringing real stories with me.
Thank you for believing in families like ours.
— Kayla