For Camas 8-year-old, marathons come with meaning

Micah Snell can’t run, but he’s completed 28 marathons.

Snell, an 8-year-old from Camas, was born with a genetic mutation that hinders communication between each side of his brain. He can’t walk, run or communicate in the traditional sense. Yet, his father Jeff, 45, brother Stephen, 16, and his special education teacher have pushed him in a specially designed bright orange wheelchair called Orange Crush during marathons.

For each race, the Snells have worked with different organizations to raise money for charitable causes. During his races, Micah has raised more than $60,000. And now, Micah’s 16-year-old sister, Mackenzie, has written a 24-page children’s book, “Micah the Mighty Marathoner,” about Micah’s life, marathons and adventures.

The book can be bought from Barnes & Noble, Amazon or the Micah’s Miles website, which is the nonprofit the Snells have started in Micah’s name. Proceeds from the book go to Micah’s Miles partner charities.

Mackenzie wrote the book, with editing help from her former elementary school teachers. Nathan Shields, a family friend and Port Angeles resident, illustrated it.

“Micah can’t verbally talk, so part of the reason I wrote it was because as his older sister, I’m one of the people who can tell his story for him,” Mackenzie explained. “I felt obligated to.”

Mackenzie, Micah and their mom, Suzie, 42, present the book at local school assemblies and Suzie noted that “kids really seem to respond to it.” The points of emphasis focuses on hard work, perseverance and teamwork.

The Snells have an intimate relationship with all three of those things through raising Micah. Just about everything they do, they must do together, which means Micah tags along for hikes, concerts and sporting events, all of which are some of Micah’s favorite things.

Micah was born two months early, and spent 38 days in a neonatal intensive care unit. His genetic mutation is called TUBA1A. The mutation means that the pathways of communication in his brain have speed bumps along the way. It also causes developmental delays and seizures, Suzie said.

The Snells use medication to help him manage the seizures. He gets medication in the morning and nighttime, and he is fed through a gastrointestinal tube four times a day. The routine has brought structure to the Snells’ lives, and also has taught them to enjoy each day and live in the moment.

“Before Micah, we took a lot of things for granted,” Jeff said. “When we’re with Micah, it’s really a focus on each day, each hour. Things that might seem insignificant to other people are really cool.”

Jeff mentioned they like how Micah helps them view the world differently, through his eyes. Sometimes he’ll flip on the light switch as a way to predict who will win a basketball game. The marathons have been a way for Micah to change the narrative on perceptions. Through his marathon participation, he becomes an inspiration.

“It was really fun to focus on something that was positive and seemed to be inspiring to other people,” Jeff said. “It gave Micah the opportunity to engage the world a little differently than just always being the victim or the person who’s always in the hospital or the person that can’t do this.”

Stephen, who ran a marathon with Micah in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, agrees that people take notice of him rolling along in Orange Crush.

“It’s different when you’re running in a marathon with Micah. You connect more with other people,” Stephen said.

It was neat to see Micah come to life in a children’s book, Jeff said, but there’s possibly still much more in store for him. Micah works with physical therapists for speech and movement. He may or may not ever be able to walk or talk. The Snells don’t like to place any expectations on what Micah might do in life, but it’s fair to say he has a track record of surpassing expectations.

“We never say ‘No.’ We never say that he’s never going to talk or walk,” Suzie said. “Micah is going to show us and tell us what he wants to do and what he’s going to do. We’ll never put boundaries on him like that. They told us that he’s never going to walk, and now he’s run 28 marathons, so we just look at things a little bit differently now.”