On October 2nd, I will be running a half marathon to raise money for Children's Hospital in Boston in honor of the two very special girls pictured above, Allison Guthrie and Charlize Reith. Both Allie and Charlie have made a profound and lasting difference in my life, and Children's Hospital has made a profound and lasting difference in their lives. Both girls have very different stories and very different outcomes, but in each case, Allie and Charlie have managed to touch the lives of me, and of so many around them in ways they will never know.
Allie is my daughter Maggie's best friend. More than that, though, she has been a fixture at my house for as long as I can remember. She is like a daughter to me. I remember vividly when, as a 3-year old little girl, she went from a seemingly healthy state to being at the top of the heart transplant list. Wow. I wasn't even family, but we shed many tears and said many prayers for the Guthries and for Allie. Her life was in the hands of Children's Hospital Boston. I remember the day that they found a donor- what mixed emotions. We were thrilled beyond belief that Allie's life was in the process of being saved, but at the same time, we know that a donated heart meant that somewhere a family lost their child. CHB saved Allie's life. They gave her a new heart, and now, through regular checkups at Children's, the little spitfire of a girl who Maggie calls her best friend will be hanging around my house for many years to come!
Charlie's story is one that is much more heartbreaking, yet equally inspirational. Charlie condition was the direct result of what happened to her at her birth by the doctors at a Worcester hospital. While fully dependent on her mom for everything, Charlie is a gorgeous child who regularly lights up whatever room she is in with her big and bright smile! I met her mother, Meridyth, while preparing to have my surgery about a year and a half ago. After I got to know Meri, it became clear that she is one of the strongest people I have ever known. She not only regularly takes Charlie to Children's for all her care, but she made the decision to also have the same surgery I did, so that she would be better able to take care of her little girl. And when she goes to CHB with Charlie, the news is often heart wrenching. However, the care she receives each time at Children's is second to none. The sole focus of the team of doctors is on the best care possible for Charlie. Charlie's life, and the lives of her family, have directly been made better as a result of Children's Hospital Boston.
As for me, I can honestly say that I never thought that I would be able to run a half marathon. I never thought I would even be able to run a mile! After all, I had been extremely obese for most of my life, weighing as much as 389 pounds. Since I have been able to shed the excess weight, I have been setting exercise goals. And so far, I have slowly met each one of my goals. First, I wanted to be able to walk a mile, then two, then three. Next, I slowly integrated short runs in with my walks. First, I ran 1/8 of a mile for a week or so. Then, I upped that to 1/4 of a mile, then 3/8 of a mile, and so on. From there, I set a goal to run a 5K race, which is about 3.1 miles. Since then, I have been running longer distances, and am now up to about 7 miles as my long run. I have about 2 months to train to increase that distance to 13.1 miles, which will be what I run on October 2nd at the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon in Hampton, NH. But at this point, I know I will be able to handle the physical aspect of this run. So for me, this goal has to be more than just a physical achievement. I need to use this goal to make a bigger difference. So I was thinking of how I could make that difference, and the answer seemed obvious. By supporting my run, and helping me achieve my goal of raising at least $5000.00 for Children's Hospital Boston, you can help me make a difference in the lives of kids just like Allie and Charlie. I am blessed in my life that my kids have never had to need the services of CHB, and I know how lucky I am. For the sake of Allie, Charlie, and other families that need the services of Children's, please consider making a difference and supporting my run.
I have posted a link below to the page at the Children's Hospital Boston web site where you can donate to support my run for CHB in honor of Allie and Charlie. I also copied more details of each of their stories, as told by their moms, below.
Thanks in advance for all of your support!
George
Why I'm hosting a fundraiser for Children's Hospital Boston!
I am hosting a fundraiser to benefit Children's Hospital Boston because I want every kid to have the best care possible. If anyplace can make that happen, it's Children's Hospital Boston. Children's has been nationally ranked as one of the best pediatric hospitals for almost two decades. They care for more than 500,000 patients every year – many with health problems no other hospital in the world can handle. Every day, the doctors and nurses at Children's combine courage, creativity and compassion to provide life-changing care.More specifically though, I am running for Children's because of two incredibly special girls in my life, Allison Guthrie and Charlize Reith. Below is a very brief summary of their stories as told by their parents. Both girls have made a deep and lasting impact on my life, which would not have been possible without the amazing people at Children's Hospital Boston.
Allie's Story:
Allison was diagnosed at age 3 years 11 months with severe restrictive cardiomyopathy. This is a very rare form of cardiomyopathy for a child. Of the 250,000 cases of pediatric cardiomyopathy reported annually, ONE will have this form. We were later told that that "one" case (statistically) was usually diagnosed post mortem. The only cure for this condition is a heart transplant.
Allison was hospitalized April 1, 2005. She was admitted to the Cardiac ICU at Children's Hospital Boston on April 2, 2005. She was listed with UNOS for a heart, status 1A, on April 7, 2005. She had only missed one gymnastics class, where she had been going weekly. She was released from the ICU to the Cardiac wing of the hospital on April 10, 2005. She was on 3 intravenous medications and her fluid intake was severely restricted to 1200 mL/day in order to maximize her heart's limited capacity and still allow her the most activity. She celebrated her 4th birthday at the Hospital on April 17, 2005. We had ice cream cake and she got a leap pad for her birthday present...a hand held toy for little kids. She also got play doh and lots of barrettes.
She received her heart on April 26, 2005. That phone call at 4am is one I will never, ever forget. Later, the surgeons and her cardiologist said her little heart was a fraction of the size it should have been. They were amazed at how active she was with her heart working so hard to accomplish so little.
She was allowed to wake on April 29, 2005 and soon after released to the regular cardiac floor from the ICU where she had been since her operation.
Allison was released from the hospital on May 9, 2005 to come home, after only 38 days total in the hospital.
Her little sister Lindsey was born via c-section on Friday, May 13, 2005.
Allison has been extremely healthy and we fully credit the amazing staff and doctors at Children's Hospital Boston for her progress and growth. She is a normal 10 year old, who is funny, silly, loud, outrageous, bright and sensitive.
Her heart has since been tested in a huge number of ways, and we go every 3 months to CHB for routine tests and evaluations to rule out any rejection or early signs of disease. She will take medicine twice a day for the rest of her life to prevent organ rejection. Children's is at the forefront of antirejection therapy and they continue to evaluate the latest medicines and procedures to apply to our lives and maximize Allison's life at the same time the minimize her life as a "transplant patient."
Charlie's Story:
When she was stuck in my birth canal for 27+ hours, she was gone. Her body would function like a child forever. She will never experience falling in love. She will never get married and have children of her own. She will never truly know how much her Mommy loves her. She will never know. Period. Yes, you might tell me that she 'knows' who I am, but I am a realist and I listened to the doctors at Children's Hospital Boston and they look at the medical facts. She has no brain. Her brain was pure fluid by the time she turned one. I can remember that day like it was yesterday. Charlie Girl and I had a sleep over at a friends house and we went into Boston for the day. We went to the Museum of Natural Science to see the Butterfly Exhibit. That was truly fascinating. Butterflies just flew over to Charlie and sat on her. Her being so still, we were able to capture many photos that day. She looked so precious in her little dress, all in blue, looking so sweet and innocent. My baby girl...
Strong for me meant and means I would handle EVERY Children's Hospital Boston visit, appointment or ER run. I would handle all of her medical issues (she has at least 20 doctors)and make myself known to the staff there at Children's. Although I lose grip of my emotions once in a great while when I am there with her for weeks at a time, I do what I need to do for Charlie! Always will. Although the expenses for such acts are quite costly, she is worth every penny, every dollar, every struggle I have. This struggle continues into the present day. I am her primary caregiver, and I would not have it Any other way! I feel at home when we go to Children's. You don't have people staring at your child because they are there for the same reason- to help their child! People might look at Charlie and not realize that anything is wrong, because by the looks of her, she is "normal". She is not the way she is due to a genetic disorder or a virus. She's like this due to a mistake made when she was born. She has the most amazing smile and her eyes sparkle. All of her organs are functioning like that of a normal child. She is legally blind. She has almost no hearing capabilities left. She has been through so much in her young life.
In 2008, she underwent one of the most critical surgeries to date. She had double hip surgery. She suffered from hip displasia which commonly affects children's whom suffer from Cerebral Palsy. While she does not have C.P., she has many of the symptoms of the disease, one of which does not allow her to walk. Hence, she does not bear any weight on her hip bones so they never develop a hood and socket. I waited 10 hours to hear the words from the exhausted surgeon "Everything went great!" I cried in relief. She celebrated her 5th Birthday in the hospital and they made her a cake and brought her little presents. Unfortunately, the worst was to come. She had, in fact, contracted MRSA and pneumonia while under anesthesia. She was put on serious antibiotics, precautionary status and double-barrel oxygen for days. I do not know how she managed to overcome two of the deadliest killers out there, but she did. I thought I was going to lose her. Her legs have been amazing since then and continue to get better to this day. And the MRSA is gone!
In December of 2008, Charlie's brother Kenny came into this world at 5lbs 13oz. He was just a little guy (since he was about a month early and not fully grown into his skin) and we just adore him and all his glory! He is the sweetest little boy and I am so amazed at how he is with Charlie! He is a wonderful and loving brother!
Through everything, our family has always been able to rely on the amazing doctors, nurses, and staff at Children's Hospital Boston. There will never be a way to adequately thank them for the professional and caring way they have treated both Charlie, but also her family and friends. Children's Hospital Boston will always hold a very special place in my heart.
I could tell other stories as well. Two grown friends of mine, Darren Chisnell and Dana Cook, both had heart surgeries at Children's during their early years. Children's Hospital Boston is simply one of those rare places that makes a huge difference in so many lives every day.
I hope you will consider supporting this fundraising effort and the kids at Children's.
Thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment