Going the distance

No mountain — or wall — is too high for nurse to climb

Heidi Morse will do anything for her patients. No challenge is too big — even climbing the Great Wall of China.

Her "24/7 calling to serve" as she describes her job at Children's, is one that inspired her to be a difference maker. Morse is a nurse in the intensive care unit — caring for the sickest kids and treating their physical conditions. But she also wanted to do something about the emotional pain she sees day in and day out.

"Making a difference when families are going through a crisis is powerful," Morse said.

An avid runner for most of her life, Morse turned a trip to see her father, Air Force Lt. Col. Chas Morse, in South Korea, into much more. The father/daughter duo ran in The Great Wall of China Marathon and raised more than $10,000 to help families in the ICU who need help with transportation to visit their children in the hospital.

During the race, more than 5,000 steps of the Great Wall — some small, some towering above Morse's knees — made her heart pound harder than ever before. But Morse said the views were breathtaking and the mini cheerleaders along the route kept her going.

"Chinese children stood on the side giving high-fives, bouquets of wild flowers, and wanting you to stop so they could take your picture," Morse said. "It reminded me of the children back in Dallas I was running for."

Morse's focus on the children helped her finish strong. She finished second in the women's category with a time of 4:07 and placed seventh overall out of 500 runners.

Now a part-time trainer at 24 Hour Fitness, Morse plans to run the Portland marathon in October 2009 to qualify for the Boston Marathon in April 2010, and is considering training for the Olympics.

And she has no doubt that her patients will continue to motivate her every step of the way.

Tags: Great Wall of China , Marathon , Intensive Care Unit , Running , Run