News

Father of Alpha-1 baby will run Boston Marathon to raise Alpha-1 awareness and research funds

Eric Hoglund of Minneapolis, MN, is no stranger to running marathons. This April he will run in the world-famous Boston Marathon to help raise funds for Alpha-1 research. Not just anyone can participate in this marathon: runners must meet a designated time standard corresponding to their age group.

“I’ve run in other marathons before, but this is my first time running in the Boston marathon. I’m running in this one in hopes of raising money for Alpha-1 research and create awareness,” says Eric.

Eric, Angie and Sam Hoglund

On Aug. 29, 2010, Eric and his wife Angie welcomed their first child, a boy they named Sam.

They soon received news that few parents are ever prepared for.

“When Sam was born he was not gaining enough weight. We went through a long journey of getting him tested for different things. Tests showed that his liver was not functioning normally. A month later he took a genetics test and was diagnosed with Alpha-1,” says Sam’s father.

Before he was finally diagnosed correctly, Sam had exploratory surgery “to gather more information about the bile pathways from the liver to the small intestine and to remove a small section of the liver for further testing,” Eric says.

Sam’s diagnosis was a shock to his parents. Neither Angie nor Eric knew of anyone in their families with Alpha-1 or with any kind of liver or lung issues.

“I had never heard of Alpha-1. I was very scared. Sam is our first baby and we were really worried about his health. I was surprised to find out that it is a genetic disease, since no one in my family has ever been diagnosed. Eric and I both plan on getting tested,” says Angie.

The Hoglunds are happy to say that Sam is now gaining weight and growing — he’s happier than ever. Both Sam and Angie will be cheering Eric on in Boston.

“We are very proud of what Eric is doing – fundraising and creating awareness for Alpha-1.”

Eric’s goal is to raise $2,620 for the Foundation. So far he is well over halfway to his goal.

View or donate to Eric’s fundraising page: