Mother honors her daughter with dedication to helping others

“She’s good with God,” Gia Holden Ruffin says with conviction.

Ruffin is referring to her daughter Saniyah, who passed away just weeks before her 12th birthday. She went through a long, difficult journey of caring for Saniyah, who was born with multiple disabilities, including microcephaly, autism, cerebral palsy and epilepsy.

Yet, Ruffin explains with a smile in her voice how Saniyah’s indomitable happiness made others smile wherever she went, despite the child’s own unforgiving obstacles, including being nonverbal. “She would light up the room,” said Ruffin.

Saniyah’s mother describes the reality that parents of special needs children experience. Once people hear the daughter’s story from the mother’s perspective, they realize how strong parental love is. To help other parents like her through difficult times and situations is Ruffin’s way to honor Saniyah.

That’s how RunSaniyahRun.org was born. It’s an organization Ruffin formed shortly after Saniyah’s death with the help of her fiancée and friends. The organization’s name is a nod to family members who would encourage Saniyah to run while she valiantly tried to master walking, always with enthusiasm.

Trading in a lucrative but intensely stressful career in corporate sales, Ruffin decided to take a leap of faith, and set her sights on forming RunSaniyahRun, even managing to find her way through the complicated process of becoming a 501(c)3 nonprofit in Delaware. The website is up and running all three Delaware counties within months of its establishment.

New Castle County was Ruffin’s original focus, as Saniyah’s education and much of her care took place there. Now a Rehoboth Beach resident, Ruffin has expanded the organization’s reach and currently occupies office space at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce.

RunSaniyahRun’s mission has become a passionate full-time job for Ruffin, raising money, and recruiting volunteers and partner organizations. Contributions include everything from financial support to in-kind services and volunteer hours. “We respond to all sorts of requests from parents in need of assistance,” she said.

Ruffin’s own entrepreneurial business, Na Na’s Cotton Candy Kloudz, was born when she learned the art of making and selling cotton candy – Saniyah’s favorite treat. It seemed right to honor her daughter’s memory with a product that brought her endless happiness.

Now offering more than 20 organic flavors of cotton candy plus sugar-free options, Na Na’s is available for schools and other fundraisers, with proceeds directly benefitting RunSaniyahRun. It is also available at Snyder’s Candy in Rehoboth and by online order at nanascandykloudz.com/store.

Ruffin laughs while describing how there’s been a lot of trial and error in developing the candy and the business. For example, she learned the hard way that producing cotton candy requires temperatures no higher than 72 degrees – not easy to do on site at a summer event!

“If only we had a properly equipped ice cream truck donated to us!” she said, picturing how the visibility at public events could skyrocket their fundraising efforts.

RunSaniyahRun is now staffed entirely by volunteers statewide. Even parents of Saniyah’s former classmates have graciously volunteered their time. With partner organizations and support from local businesses, there is so much they can do, but so much more they have in mind!

For Ruffin, this has been a spiritual journey, fueled by the gift of Saniyah’s beautiful life. “She was genuinely loved,” Ruffin said, with admiration for her special daughter.

Visit runsaniyahrun.org to learn about ways to donate/volunteer/support RunSaniyahRun and the families it serves, or email info@runsaniyahrun.org.