KATHRYN'S GIFT - 930 Siloam Rd., Chambersburg, PA 17201: July 2009

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Kathryn on local TV for her Make-A-Wish Pool

The news anchor mentions the launch of Kathryn's Gift at the end of this report.

Springfield, MA & Hershey, PA Houses next

Hi all:

We are moving on to the next couple of Ronald McDonald Houses. I spoke with Hershey, PA and Springfield, MA and both of them were extremely excited with the idea of getting air purifiers in their rooms.

The Hershey House currently has 15 rooms but is going through a renovation and will eventually have 35 rooms. The director of the Springfield, MA House is on vacation this week and will be getting back to me about the number but if my memory serves me correctly, they have around 25 rooms.

So here is our goal: 50 purifiers at $45 each = $2,250.

Kathryn's Gift
930 Siloam Rd.
Chambersburg, PA 17201
bchenaille@comcast.net

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Local News Story

What a fantastic couple of weeks for Kathryn's Gift. Our local news affiliate was at our house on Friday July 10th, 2009 to capture the Make-A-Wish gift of a pool in our back yard. It was during this news report that we launched Kathryn's Gift. It can be seen at:
http://cfc.whtm.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=44348&category=loc

Then soon after, we received a call from the local paper wanting to do a story about her experience with Aplastic Anemia. The article can be seen online at:
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/ci_12823385

Kathryn's Story

We received the devastating news on September 18, 2008 that Kathryn’s depleted blood counts were due to a potentially fatal auto immune disorder called Aplastic Anemia. Like most parents, we spent countless nights scouring the internet looking for an authority who could tell us exactly what to do.

After discovering the pioneering treatments offered at the Johns Hopkins Hospital under the direction of Drs. Robert Brodsky & Allen Chen, we became convinced this treatment was the best option.

The upside of Kathryn’s treatments was that it offered the best chance of a long-term remission and possible cure. The downside was that it would require her body to endure a lengthy neutropenic state, lacking the immunity to protect her from infections or disease.

While she was inpatient, I had been staying at the RMH and came to know first-hand the amazing power of sharing your experiences with others in our same position. It was a place that would not only get us through our ordeal, but help us thrive. Sure enough, the friendships we made along the way will certainly last a life-time.

I shared our desire to stay at the RMH with the staff @ Johns Hopkins who cautioned that staying in “communal” living could put Kathryn at more risk. They were not completely against the idea and soon recommended that we look into air filters to help with her protection. This is where Secure Air comes into the story.

While visiting the Home Depot, I discovered there many filters on the market, but only one of them had Ultra Violet light technology that actually neutralized germs as opposed to simply catching them in a filter. We had this technology on our water system at home and knew the health benefits to our drinking water, but this was the first time I had seen this technology used in purifying air. Kathryn thrived at the Ronald McDonald House and stayed completely free of any airborne illnesses.

After returning home, the bulb in our purifier needed to be replaced so we contacted Secure Air. I shared our story with Tom Novicki the National Sales Manager and in 2 days, a completely new system with several replacement air filters was at our doorstep. In amazement, I called back to thank them and spoke with Tom who shared his experience of losing his sister to cancer.

Kathryn had wanted to figure a way to help other children in her same situation and before we knew it, the opportunity landed in our laps . . . to offer the gift of clean air at all Ronald McDonald Houses across the country.

Please consider helping Kathryn buy HEPA filters for sick kids across the country.

Donations can be made to:

Kathryn’s Gift
930 Siloam Rd.
Chambersburg, PA 17201

If you would like to visit the Baltimore Ronald McDonald House where we stayed, you can see them here:
http://www.rmhbaltimore.com

KATHRYN'S GIFT - 930 Siloam Rd., Chambersburg, PA 17201

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Kathryn on local TV for her Make-A-Wish Pool

Springfield, MA & Hershey, PA Houses next

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Local News Story

Kathryn's Story

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