Denison grad running in Boston Marathon to honor Heath's Maci Whisner

Columbus native and 2019 Denison University graduate Maria Taylor may be miles and miles away from home, but it is the story of a late Newark child that's driving Taylor to take on an impeccable challenge: running in the Boston Marathon.

Taylor, who uses the they/them pronouns, will partake in the April 18 race to honor Maci Whisner, who passed away in September at the age of five. Taylor learned about the beloved girl through a Facebook group called Maci's Mended Heart, created in 2016 by Josh and Karissa Whisner, who hoped to find treatment for their daughter's heart complications. Moved and inspired, a job-seeking Taylor ended up finding work as a researcher at the very place where Maci was treated: Boston Children's Hospital.

"(Maci's) history is actually what drew me to Boston Children's Hospital. She was treated here, so I applied here," said Taylor.

Realizing that the next step in their professional journey was fast approaching, Taylor figured that now would be the right time to honor Maci.

"Knowing (the Whisner family's) history and that I might be leaving Boston this upcoming summer for medical school, I wanted to do something big to give back before leaving Boston Children's Hospital," said Taylor.

Taylor will run as part of the Boston Children's Hospital marathon team, Miles for Miracles. They are working to raise $7,500 for children like Maci, who struggle with rare genetic disorders and heart complications.

"I've been doing a bunch of different fundraisers," said Taylor, "like selling hand-painted greeting cards, donations from family and friends, and an event at a bar that is actually on the Marathon route."

A former Denison field hockey player, Taylor is no stranger to the world of endurance training. They ran a half-marathon last December, and found fulfillment in doing so.

"I loved it. It was a fantastic experience. I loved training. I loved getting to know the running community, which is big in Boston," they said.

In addition to raising money, Taylor's efforts also provided some comfort to the Whisner family.

"It really helps our grieving, to still hear (Maci's) name, to still see that there's things being done in this world because our daughter lived," said Karissa Whisner.

"I think every parent hopes that their child can grow up and do things to change the world, and I think we mourned that too when we realized that Maci would never grow up," Karissa Whisner added. "We hope to find meaning in her life still, and people like Maria are giving her life meaning even after her death."

When Maria Taylor joins the Miles for Miracles team at the starting line this spring, they'll be joined by some local faces, as Josh and Karissa Whisner will be in the crowd to watch Maria run.

Donations to Maria Taylor's fundraiser can be made using the following link: https://secure.childrenshospital.org/site/TR;jsessionid=00000000.app206a?px=2056068&fr_id=2180&pg=personal&NONCE_TOKEN=B1DC4EB54E72F7415ACC082CEE3602BF