By Rick Pfeiffer
Niagara Gazette
NIAGARA FALLS —
He had sparkling eyes, a smile that could light up a room and a personality that belied his age.
Everyone who met little Joshua Arndt came away from the encounter with a warm memory.
So it’s probably no surprise that some 10 months after he passed away, a group of the Falls finest and some other friends will journey east down the Thruway this weekend for the Run For Our Sons program in the Rochester Marathon.
The run looks to raise critically important funds for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common lethal genetic disorder diagnosed during early childhood today. It was Duchenne that took Joshua’s life at the age of just 4.
“It’s important to raise awareness for this devastating disease and to give our boys and their families hope,” said Joshua’s dad, Falls Police Crime Scene Unit Officer Shawn Arndt.
Duchenne affects approximately 1 out of every 3,500 boys and 20,000 babies born each year. Currently, there are only limited treatments available to the children who are stricken by it and there is no known cure.
The Run For Our Sons started off as a dream of the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, a national nonprofit organization founded by the parents of children with Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy. The program has over 300 runners who participate in six major marathons and half marathons across the including the Disney and New York City marathons.
Team NFPD, which will compete in the Rochester event on Sunday, is made up of eight Falls police officers and detectives, two assistant Niagara County district attorneys, a police dispatcher, a 911 operator and a family friend.
Officer Tina Zell is the team co-captain.
“I’ve been running for a while,” Zell said, “and I thought it would be good to run for a cause.”
Unlike Zell and Detective Lorrie Alvarez, Detective Kathy Stack said she is not an experienced runner. That didn’t keep her from signing up though.
“So why am I doing this?” Stack said with a laugh, “It’s because of Josh. I’m a parent. I like the name, Run For Our Sons.”
Arndt and his wife, Jessica, have been deeply involved with the Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy since Joshua was first diagnosed with Duchenne. He said the support he’s seen for the marathon is deeply moving.
“It really means a lot to me, the support I’m getting from everyone” Arndt said. “But they’re not just helping our family, they are helping thousands of boys that need someone to run for them.”
Arndt said as he and Jessica were looking for ways to help raise awareness and research on Duchenne, folks at the Parent Project suggested a marathon event.
“There were a lot of people who wanted to get involved and when I spoke to (Zell) she took off with (the idea),” Arndt said. “There’s not much understanding about (Duchenne) and in order to learn more they need funds for research.”
For some of the members of Team NFPD, the marathon is a way to add a good cause to their regular running routine.
“I (ran) when I was in the service and I got back into it a couple of years ago,” Detective Tom Ewing said. “Shawn is a part of our family in (the Criminal Investigation Division), so whatever we can do in Josh’s memory, we’ll do.”
Detective Joe Paul is also a veteran runner who says he’s looking forward to the run.
“I thought it would be a great way to show my support for Shawn,” Paul said. “It’s an honor to run for Josh.”
