Running for a cause

When Andover mom Kim Grady discovered her son had Narcolepsy, she promised her son "would not be a victim." Grady's son suffers from a rare form of the disease called Narcolepsy with cataplexy, which along with sleep disturbances can cause her son to lose control of his muscles and seize up as if he was having a seizure.

John, now 14, has persevered thanks in part to Grady's effort to get him to the right doctors and on the right medicine. John has excelled in school and in outside activities including winning awards as a wrestler.

Kim Grady said she's inspired by her son's resilience and has chosen to pick up her running shoes once more to spread awareness and raise money for medical research of the disease through the non-profit organization, Wake Up Narcolepsy. Grady said she hopes that organizations like Wake Up will help doctors and researchers find less toxic treatments, or even a cure, for the debilitating disease.