If you go ...
What: Third annual Wings of Hope 5K Run and Walk
When: June 10. Check-in begins at 8:45 a.m., and the run/walk begins at 10 a.m.
Where: Putnam Park, 1106 4th St., Brodhead
Cost: $20 if registered before May 24, $25 if after. T-shirts are guaranteed to those who register before May 24. Register online at getmeregistered.com/WingsOfHopeWalk.
BRODHEAD - Adelyne Long would have been a miracle.
Her parents, Tia and Trevor, had been trying to conceive a child for three years. Finally, in June of 2014, their first child was scheduled to be born.
But on June 13, Tia's last day before maternity leave, Tia was in a serious four-vehicle crash north of Brooklyn. After she was transported to a Madison hospital, she learned that she was out of danger. Her daughter, however, could not be saved.
Adelyne Long died the day before she was scheduled to be born.
Tia said it took three months for her to return to work, and that her physical recovery continues to this day.
"But there's not really a timeline for emotional recovery," she said.
Time passed quickly, however.
"The following March, we couldn't believe it had been almost a year," Tia said. "We wanted to do something special for her birthday."
So Tia and Trevor set up the first annual Wings of Hope in 2015, a five-kilometer walk in commemoration of Adelyne.
Trevor said the first Wings of Hope raised about $8,000 for Family Promise.
"We wanted to focus on helping other families and children," Trevor said.
The following year, Wings of Hope raised $5,800 for Jacob's SWAG, a nonprofit organization addressing suicide prevention in schools.
Tia said the funds were sufficient to purchase "buddy benches" - spaces for students to seek support from other students - for Brodhead schools.
Meanwhile, life for the Longs went on. In 2015, their son, Eli, was born, and a second child is due later this year.
"Eli's brought a lot of light back into our family," Tia said.
For the third annual Wings of Hope, the Longs hope to help comfort families undergoing the same tragedy they did.
The event will benefit The Jack Pack, an organization which provides "Cuddle Cots" to local hospitals.
A Cuddle Cot is a device that cools the bodies of stillborn babies, delaying the onset of decomposition - which, for a newborn, occurs rapidly.
"We were able to have 12 hours with Adelyne," Trevor said. "And for any family going through that, the most valuable thing you can have is more time."
Tia said they hope to raise enough money to purchase a Cuddle Cot for the Monroe Clinic.
This year's Wings of Hope event will take place on June 10, three days before what would have been Adelyne's third birthday.
"We want to honor our daughter's memory, but also provide hope for other families," Trevor said. "It's like a birthday party for her."
In addition to the 5-kilometer walk (and, for the first time, a run), the event will feature a children's carnival, hayrides, a silent auction and more.
"It's an amazing experience to get so much support from our community," Tia said. "It's given us the opportunity to find our own healing."
Her parents, Tia and Trevor, had been trying to conceive a child for three years. Finally, in June of 2014, their first child was scheduled to be born.
But on June 13, Tia's last day before maternity leave, Tia was in a serious four-vehicle crash north of Brooklyn. After she was transported to a Madison hospital, she learned that she was out of danger. Her daughter, however, could not be saved.
Adelyne Long died the day before she was scheduled to be born.
Tia said it took three months for her to return to work, and that her physical recovery continues to this day.
"But there's not really a timeline for emotional recovery," she said.
Time passed quickly, however.
"The following March, we couldn't believe it had been almost a year," Tia said. "We wanted to do something special for her birthday."
So Tia and Trevor set up the first annual Wings of Hope in 2015, a five-kilometer walk in commemoration of Adelyne.
Trevor said the first Wings of Hope raised about $8,000 for Family Promise.
"We wanted to focus on helping other families and children," Trevor said.
The following year, Wings of Hope raised $5,800 for Jacob's SWAG, a nonprofit organization addressing suicide prevention in schools.
Tia said the funds were sufficient to purchase "buddy benches" - spaces for students to seek support from other students - for Brodhead schools.
Meanwhile, life for the Longs went on. In 2015, their son, Eli, was born, and a second child is due later this year.
"Eli's brought a lot of light back into our family," Tia said.
For the third annual Wings of Hope, the Longs hope to help comfort families undergoing the same tragedy they did.
The event will benefit The Jack Pack, an organization which provides "Cuddle Cots" to local hospitals.
A Cuddle Cot is a device that cools the bodies of stillborn babies, delaying the onset of decomposition - which, for a newborn, occurs rapidly.
"We were able to have 12 hours with Adelyne," Trevor said. "And for any family going through that, the most valuable thing you can have is more time."
Tia said they hope to raise enough money to purchase a Cuddle Cot for the Monroe Clinic.
This year's Wings of Hope event will take place on June 10, three days before what would have been Adelyne's third birthday.
"We want to honor our daughter's memory, but also provide hope for other families," Trevor said. "It's like a birthday party for her."
In addition to the 5-kilometer walk (and, for the first time, a run), the event will feature a children's carnival, hayrides, a silent auction and more.
"It's an amazing experience to get so much support from our community," Tia said. "It's given us the opportunity to find our own healing."