Running to raise money for the blind

Glastonbury, Conn. (WTNH) --A woman is running to raise money for a school that creates an educational and fun atmosphere for her daughter.

For five months Heather Drury has been training five days a week for the Boston Marathon.

She said she loves to run, but this will be Drury's first marathon.

"There have been a couple long runs where I wouldn't have minded if someone came and picked me up and said ok you're done, but for the most part it hasn't been that bad," said Drury.              
        
Her goal is to raise money for Perkins School in Massachusetts, because it is a school that caters to the needs of blind children. It's the place where Drury's 8-year-old daughter Paige spends many weekends throughout the year.

Paige was born with a rare genetic disorder that causes her to be blind.

"It's just a rare genetic disorder, structurally the eye is fine, but its almost like they forgot to put in the light switch to make it work," said Drury.
          
Paige goes to school in Glastonbury during the week, but she spends a lot of weekends at Perkins School. Her family drives one hour and forty minutes each way to get her there. The family said the long trip is worth it because of everything that Perkins School can offer.

"It lets her be, just be a kid, she doesn't have to explain her cane, or her braille, or when she plays here the kids go running and their faster than she is, and at Perkins she's just one of the kids," said Drury.             

"We do a lot of fun activities like rock climbing, cooking, going out to eat," said Paige.           

"She needs to get hands on to understand how big an airplane is because she doesn't see it, because if I call the airport they're not gonna let me anywhere near a plane with her, but going to Perkins they have the access to be able to do that, it opens doors that I just couldn't open," said Drury.            
         
Drury and a team of nine others that are running for Perkins School plan to raise more than $50,000.

Training for the Boston Marathon requires a lot of hard work, but Drury and her daughter know it will pay off.

"I think its a very nice thing to do because its very good to raise money for Perkins," said Paige. "I'm proud of her."    

To support Drury and make a donation that will go to Perkins School click here .