Issue link: https://alabamapower.uberflip.com/i/887598
"Casandra is a big runner," Nowak said of her close friend, an employee at Alabama Power's Logan Martin/Neely Henry Shoreline Management group and a member of the Gadsden Runner's Club. Like Stewart, many runners said they were inspired by Nowak's story. Harlan Nowak has undergone surgeries and quarterly treatments at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham. When Harlan was born, doctors warned the Nowaks that he would face difficulties. Just days aer Harlan's admission to neonatal intensive care, the Nowaks learned the heart-wrenching difficulties of an OI diagnosis: Harlan suffered fractures to his le femur, le humerus and right shoulder, simply from being turned in his crib. Despite being told that Harlan would never walk, Nowak's son is now so active and healthy that he took his turn in a sprint during the Unbreakable Spirit Run. Harlan joined two other children with OI – 3-year-old Willa Brown from Knoxville, Tennessee, and an 18-month-old girl, Charlie Kai from Odenville, whose mother pushed her in a stroller. Knoxville native Kelsey Brown and Willa drove about 3 hours to take part in the race. "My daughter has brittle bones," said Brown. "My friend Kadie is the head of the 'Unbreakable Fighters' and she asked us to be here today to represent the families who her organization supports. "We're really proud of Kadie for putting in the effort here, and are really proud of the runners, too, for being here to support us, and we're just happy to represent the families." IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO SUPPORT A VILLAGE While creating a 5K run seems simple enough, Nowak and Maudsley quickly learned there is an incredible "back story" to making such an event happen. e Dam 5K required much coordination and volunteerism. Alabama Power Hydro employees helped bring the Dam 5K to fruition, and added to the event's success by publicizing and organizing the run. Several helped lay out the course, marking runner pathways with orange safety cones. At Neely Henry Hydro, Plant Superintendent Martin Wyndham's seven employees assisted on what is normally their day off. e hydro journeymen shuttled visitors from the plant parking lot to conduct tours of their facility throughout the day, escorting the curious to the "galley" – the lowest area of the Photo: Rob Culpepper Photos: Nik Layman Kadie Nowak 12 | 2017 Vol:3