Teen Running Boston Marathon To Honor Doctors Who Saved Him As An Infant

BURRILLVILLE, Rhode Island (CBS) — Before heading out for a run these days, Austin Prario makes sure the sneakers are snug, and then spends a moment with “the picture.” It’s a photo of his dad toting him across the Boston Marathon finish line as an infant. It’s all about where the 19-year-old has been–and where he’s going. “This means everything,” he says. “It’s so surreal to know I’m gonna be running in this race.” These photos show Prario’s father, Dave, carrying him across the Boston Marathon finish line in 1998. (WBZ-TV) Indeed, Austin is running this year’s marathon for Children’s Hospital, just like his dad did in 1998. That’s when Austin was in the midst of three open-heart surgeries during his first 18 months of life, and doctors cautioned that he’d likely be smaller, slower, and weaker than other kids. “And my dad said, ‘No, he’ll be able to run the Boston Marathon someday,'” Austin says. Austin Prario. (WBZ-TV) In elementary school, Austin first tried his hand at cross country–and lost every single race. Sure, he says, that was demoralizing at the time, but now he uses it as inspiration. “I’m just amazed at what he can do, and it just goes to show you can do anything,” says his mother, Kara Prario. Despite having only three functioning heart chambers and low blood oxygen, Austin upped the ante in high school, thr...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Boston Marathon Health Local News Syndicated Local Syndicated Sports Austin Prario Boston Children's Hospital Ken MacLeod Rhode Island Source Type: news