Butterfly Swamp Fun run 5K

This is a fundraising fun run 5K to raise awareness and promote education on Aortic Dissections, Aneurysms and a rare genetic disorder called Loeys-Dietz syndrome which affects all the connective tissue in the body.

We will have a Butterfly release, Bubbles, Music, Games, Hot Dogs and a beer tent. Come out for a beautiful fun filled morning. All participants will get a finishers medal .

Aortic dissections where the aorta tears and ruptures are devastating and are often misdiagnosed in the emergency room. This was the case with our son Ryan. He was woken up in the early hours with acute chest pain, but we were sent home from the ER after being told it was a muscle strain and that people Ryan's age never  had a serious reason for chest pain. Ryan died two months later when his entire aorta ruptured. Ryan was 18 years old and due to start at UALR the next day.

Our daughter Katherine and I were later diagnosed with Loeys Dietz syndrome. Katherine's aorta grew very quickly in the 6 months following diagnosis and she had surgery to replace part of it, however due to complications after open heart surgery Katherine died on August 17th 2014. A year to the day after her little brother. To honor our children and to make a difference in the world we started The Katherine and Ryan Palludan Memorial Organization. All funds raised will go to Arkansas Children's Hospital for heart research and education, and to a scholarship at UALR that we started in Katherine and Ryan's names. We do a butterfly release to start the race, have family friendly activities before and after the race, music and snacks. 

In the two years since our inception, we have raised $28,000.00 of which $14,000.00 has been donated to medical research at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and to Arkansas Children s Hospital, and the remaining $14,000.00 has been donated to the scholarship at UALR that we started in Katherine and Ryan's name