She’s running the Boston Marathon for her former patient

On our websiteWhy am I running?“, Boston Marathon athletes share what inspires them to take on the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for the Boston Marathon Pop-up Newsletter at Boston.com.

name: Erin Donnelly

Age: 30

From: Boston, Massachusetts.

I’m running for Gio, who will forever be 5 years old.

From the day I met Gio, I knew he was special. He was so small, but larger than life.

“Hello. My name is Giovanni Thompson, and I love cheese,” was the first thing he said to me.

I am a physical therapist at Franciscan Children’s Hospital, and Gio has been a patient of mine for 6 months.

Gio had a rare genetic condition called Morquio Syndrome. His little mind was 4 years old—so smart, quick-witted, and imaginative as wildfire—but his bones couldn’t keep up.

Gio’s motto was, “I can do hard things,” and he did.

His favorite superhero was The Hulk. Geo may have been small, but in life he was as big and strong as any superhero.

Watching him engage with the world with his body makes me think of all that he could have achieved under different circumstances.

It was truly the most inspiring approach to life I have ever seen; Just one of the many little lessons he taught me. He also taught me that food will always taste better with a special green spoon, that every handshake should end with either a Hulk crush or a fart, and that there’s always time for another hug.

Gio died surrounded by the love and comfort of his family about 6 months after leaving home.

Although I never claim to have a favorite patient, I believe this little man cut out a little piece of my soul and took it with him when Franciscan left.

When he was 4 years old, he had a huge impact on my life and I carry him with me every day. I always told Gio that he could do hard things, so now I do hard things for him.