©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Triumphant and challenged Springfield twins named Hill’s race recipients
by JENNIFER KATZ

Cynthia Murray thought she was having twin girls. She was so sure that she and her husband, Martin Dahmm, had picked out only girls names — Eleanor and Amelia — when she started labor just five and a half months into her pregnancy.

Doctors confined her to a hospital bed, even angling her head towards the floor at times to stave off an early birth. Despite their efforts, Murray delivered twin boys weighing only two pounds each. The young couple, both landscape architects, spent countless hours with the boys watching as one grew and got stronger and the other struggled significantly.

It took weeks, Murray recalled slyly smiling, to pick out names. They settled on Ethan and Hayden because they were “unique,” or so it seemed at time, Murray said. Hayden came home from the hospital after three and a half months. Ethan spent only two more weeks there, but when he came home the outlook was starkly different, doctors said.

Ethan had suffered a second-grade brain hemorrhage at three days old and was completely blind at three months. “The doctors told us that the brain bleed was a major issue,” Murray said. “But Martin and I always said we would let Ethan tell us what he could and couldn’t do.”

Now 13-year-olds, the boys are this year’s recipients of the 19th Annual Friends of Erik “Run for the Hill of It.” They have both grown more than anyone could have imagined, Murray said. Although legally blind, Hayden is an artist focusing on sketch portraits and writing a comic book series. Two of his drawings have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer this year, on April 16 and May 28 (a third is slated for July).

Ethan faces more challenges. He has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and severe reflux. He is confined to a wheelchair and has a limited ability to communicate. He is considered severely retarded.

For years Murray and Dahmm worked side-by-side taking care of the boys. They lived in Lansdowne before moving to a ranch house in Springfield, Montgomery County, four years ago when it was necessary for Ethan’s care. Dahmm worked at WRT, a national design firm, in Center City. Murray managed to work from home once the boys started school.

In December, Dahmm died suddenly. They always knew they wanted children, Murray said. She came from a family of six and he was from a family of four. “Martin wanted more children, but I was too scared to get pregnant again,” Murray said. He was an incredible father, Murray said, her eyes filling with tears. He built Ethan a special bed, staving off the sternness and cold of a hospital bed. Murray said she would not be able much longer to lift his 68-pound frame into it. She is now depending on friends to come over so she can bathe him and hopes to remodel her bathroom someday to make it easier to do herself.

Organizers of the annual “Run for the Hill of It” 5K run and 1K fun walk hope to raise a significant amount to contribute to Murray and her boys. Named as this year’s recipients, the Dahmm twins will receive all of the proceeds from the event. In previous years, that amount has been as much as $80,000 for a family with a child suffering from a severe illness.

Murray said it is hard to think of her family as in need of help. “I’ve always been the one to donate to charity or volunteer my time for others less fortunate. I never realiazed how hard it is to be on this side,” said an emotional Murray. She said she intends to put the money in a trust to help defray the cost of college for Hayden and special needs care for Ethan.

The USATF sanctioned race is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. July 29, beginning at Northwestern Avenue and Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park. The course is flat and shaded, and run organizers will provide water and refreshments. To register or make a donation, visit www.runforthehillofit.org.

Contact staff writer Jennifer Katz at 215-248-8804 or jenn@chestnuthilllocal.com.