HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. — A Hernando County man is getting ready to run in one of the biggest races in the country: the Boston Marathon. It’s in honor of his son.

Jason Wetherington first got into running after hurting his arm powerlifting.

"I work at [Pasco Hernando State College] and they have an annual 5K race. I was like, 'well, I can't lift weights anymore, so I guess I'll run.' And once I did that 5K race, the addiction set in real fast," Wetherington said.

Now he is taking that passion to Boston, a place he and his family knows well. His son Isaac spent a lot of time there, receiving treatment.

"My son Isaac was born in 2010 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, and tragically after three open heart surgeries, he passed away in 2012,” he explained.

Since Isaac's death, Wetherington says he and his family have strived to give back. They've adopted six children with special needs, two with heart conditions themselves.

"It's impacted us in what's important in life, what should I really focus on in life," Wetherington said.

He's running the Boston Marathon as part of the Ethan Lindberg Foundation’s team, an organization that helps children with congenital heart disease.

"One of our adoptive children, Brave, required an open heart surgery in Boston, and the Ethan Linberg Foundation has an apartment that allows families to stay there while their children are at the hospital," Wetherington explained.

"My son Isaac, I'm excited about doing this race in his honor," he added.

Before he heads to the marathon in April, Wetherington is hosting a 5K run in Dade City.

It's happening on March 2 in Dade City and all proceeds from that race will go to the Ethan Lindberg Foundation. Go to his website to learn more about Isaacs Run.

The Boston Marathon is April 15.

CrowdRise is not affiliated with Spectrum News Networks or Bay News 9. To learn more about CrowdRise, visit its Privacy Policy.