Paying it Forward: Session 3

The third session of the 'Do Better. Be Better.' was once again a HUGE success.  The fundraisers this session were: week one returner's only gauntlet (CF only), a Buffalo Wild Wings night, a Chuck E. Cheese night, a golf benefit, and a sweaty t-shirt theme day.  We were able to raise $4000!  Better yet, we helped THREE families in need and donated $800 to the Dunkerton Do Better. Be Better. Scholarship fund!!!! Thank you to all of you for making these events so incredibly successful.  They would not be possible without the generosity of all of you.

The stories below briefly highlight those who we all helped.  Each family wanted to make sure that I extended their deepest appreciation, love, and gratefulness to all of you.  Yes, the monetary donation to them was incredibly helpful.   But, all of them were quick to say that the thoughtfulness and kindness behind it was even more powerful and truly overwhelming.  All of the families were inspired to pay it forward and are hopeful that they will someday help us in our efforts to help others.

Angela Gamerdinger

At my yearly exam June 3, 2014, my doctor found a lump in my left breast.  I was sent directly to mammography, then directly to radiology for an ultrasound, and then back for another mammogram.  I sensed through all of this that I was a breast cancer patient now.  The doctor told me I had cancer before I even had a biopsy.  I suddenly felt doomed.  The doctor told me I had a 4.7 centimeter cancerous tumor and I would have to undergo chemo and radiation.
 
I don't remember the drive home.  Ten days later I had a left breast mastectomy.  I want both breasts removed, but due to a bleeding disorder called, Von Wilbrands disease, I was only able to have one removed.  I was then sent to the Cancer Treatment Center where I was told I would have 16 chemo treatments from July to December.  This was a very arduous journey.  I did become so sick with these treatments that I had to take a leave of absence from work.  Maintenance chemo began in January and lasted most of 2015.  This chemo was not as harsh, thank God.  In January, I also started 33 radiation treatments.  

This has been a long journey that is coming close to completion. The good Lord, family, friends, and perfect strangers have played a huge part in my journey which I so greatly appreciate!!!  The doctors will never tell me it's gone, but I try to live my life like it is gone. Thanks to all of you for being part of my journey as I continue to battle this horrible disease.

Tiana Williams (written by her mother, Dawn Laws)

Tiana began to walk at 11 months old and from the moment she walked I knew there was something not right.  Tiana's legs were bowed more than I thought was normal.  She is my 3rd child, so I didn't feel like I had new mom paranoia.  I expressed my concern to her pediatrician on every doctor visit and check-up.  Finally at her 18-month check-up, she was referred to an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Iowa Hospital.  At her appointment, there was a visual exam and x-rays. Her doctor said that 99% of children with bow legs correct on their own. When he returned, he told me she was not going to correct on her own and would only get worse and would cause crippling without surgical correction.  Tiana was diagnosed with a rare bone condition, Blount's disease, on August 20, 2014.  This occurs in less than 1% of bow legged children.  There is little information available about the disease and it is listed as a rare disease.  I was numb to the situation. 

I was given two different options of surgery plans.  The first option was a bilateral osteotomy on her tibias. With this they would cut and straighten both legs and cast them for 6 weeks.  The second option was a new procedure called 8-plate surgery.  This is minimally invasive where they would put plates in her legs to make room for her growth plates and stop growth on one side of her tibia to let the other side of her bone catch up and straighten her legs.  I decided to to go with the 8-plate surgery suggested by her ortho surgeon and trust in him and his team of doctors that this would correct her.  She had the the 8-plate surgery done on September 23, 2014 in Iowa City.  She did stay over night after the procedure and she was up trying to walk a couple days after surgery.  There were no restrictions.  

Since then, we have had numerous visits to Iowa City with close monitoring or her growth pattern. She also is in chronic pain and was fitted for a KAFO brace to wear on her left leg to support it because the left is the worse.  Unfortunately, her first surgery was medically determined a failure June 29, 2015.  The measurement of the left leg was worse than suspected and the right measurement was slightly improved, but not enough to continue with the plates.  She's young, so we didn't want to waste time.  On July 7th, she had a second surgery to try to straighten her legs and her casts were removed on August 21.  From the moment the casts came off, I again felt that there was something not right with her left leg.  

She recently had her follow-up appointment and I was assured her bones aren't broken (as I thought after I saw her X-rays) and will straighten out on their own.  Her orthopedic surgeon will be retiring in November and we will see her one more time.  Currently, I'm seeking a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic. This is not fixable over night, so we take it one step at a time. I hate that my baby is going through all this, but is necessary for her to live a productive life.   I just hate to think that Tiana may have to have more surgeries in the future. I know her left leg was more severe, that it still isn't straight, and that it will need time to heal.  But, my motherly instincts haven't failed me yet and I feel like our journey isn't over.

Tiana is a very strong-will, determined little girl!  I love her so much and want nothing but the best for her.  She endures chronic pain and it breaks me down to see her suffer. She wants to keep up with kids her age, but can't.  She currently doesn't like to bear any weight on her left leg and scoots on her bottom to get where she needs to be.  She has a wheel chair that she uses at daycare, but doesn't really like to be in there.  For the moment, though, we wait for the final outcome of this surgery and wait for the next step.  

To learn more about Tiana and follow updates on her condition, please join the Facebook group page, 'Tiana's little legs, a journey with blount's disease.'

Gabriel James and Nora Melissa Ackerson 

Gabriel and Nora were born at 23 weeks on December 13, 2014 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The children were born at St. Luke's Hospital weighing less than 2 pounds each because of premature labor caused by an infection. Gabriel has been at St. Luke's since his delivery and Nora has split time between St. Luke's and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Nora suffers from hydrocephalus, which is an accumulation of fluid build up on her brain. She currently has a reservoir in place that allows the excess to collect into an area on her forehead that requires a doctor to withdraw three timesa week. The only current treatment available in Iowa is to have a shunt inserted with a tube that runs from her brain into her abdomen where the fluid is absorbed into her body. Once a shunt is installed, it possiblyneeds to be replaced at least every 10 years. This means, Nora would have to undergo at least 8 more replacement surgeries in her lifetime. Shunts also can have negative effects on equilibrium, cause difficulties with flying and potentially keep her from athletic activities for the rest of her life. 

Please visit http://ackersonstrong.com/ to learn more about Gabriel and Nora.  



Our next fundraiser is the Do Better. Be Better. Color Run on Saturday, October 3 at 9 am at Pfeiffer Park in Cedar Falls.  It costs $20 to participate and a t-shirt is included.  All proceeds will be divided evenly between the Do Better. Be Better. Scholarship fund and families in need.  Please use this link to sign up online: https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=122459