Dr. Brian Chicoine of Arlington Heights was among the more than 10,000 runners who ran the Chicago Marathon for charity. But he was the only one to run it for the Adult Down Syndrome Center in Park Ridge.
It was the sixth time Chicoine ran the marathon for the center and over the years he has raised more than $300,000 for its programs. This year alone, he raised $20,000 and money continues to come in.
The Adult Down Syndrome Center is the only one of its kind in the Midwest and is a program offered by Advocate Lutheran General Hospital and its medical group.
Last week, Chicoine and his staff hosted an open house at their newly completed facility, located just west of the hospital.
While the facility has been open since late April, they waited until October, known nationally as Down syndrome awareness month, to open its doors to the public.
What started 20 years ago with Chicoine seeing patients two mornings a week has evolved into a full time center that offers a holistic approach to meeting the medical and psychosocial needs of its clients.
Since its inception, more than 5,000 patients have been served and it now treats 2,000 individuals per year.
