More than 18,000 people participated in the Miami Marathon yesterday, but one runner, a 16-year-old Passaic girl paralyzed from the chest down, had great joy in reaching the finish line.
Rivka Shotkin was one of 430 runners who have taken part in the Miami Marathon with Chai Lifeline’s Team Lifeline for more than ten years.
She exceeded her initial fundraising target of $5,000, generating a total of $15,380 for Chai Lifeline as a means of saying “thank you” for their assistance after she was hurt in a severe skiing accident in 2021 that left her with broken bones a punctured lung, and spinal damage.
During the trying months following her injury, Shotkin told Miami’s NBC 6 (bit.ly/3Jo7VEI) that Chai Lifeline was there for her and her family.
She cited that the charity served her supper every night of her three-month rehab stay. She attempted the Miami Marathon in her wheelchair after spending two weeks at Camp Simcha, run by Chai Lifeline over the summer.
Shotkin crossed the finish line after four hours and two minutes, cheered on by her colleagues as she rolled to victory.
Shotkin stated, “When you’re running the marathon, it seems like it will never end, but when you cross the finish line, it’s like, oh my G-d, I did it.
Shotkin, the daughter of Rabbi Micah Shotkin, an authority on Passaic eruv, hopes that her performance at the marathon will encourage other people to appreciate life and have high dreams.
Shotkin asserted that there are no boundaries to what you are capable of.
“Don’t set yourself back. Before attempting something, don’t decide you can’t.
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