HERSHEY, PA RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

Saturday, December 19, 2009

HERSHEY, PA RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE

It is amazing how very little work we have done to get the word out on "Kathryn's Gift" and yet it seems to be taking on a life of its own. People are hearing about it and taking action to help Kathryn in her mission.

Mark your calendars for a BIG opportunity coming up on CNN on Christmas day at 1pm and the following day (12/26) at 3pm. The folks from the Baltimore Ronald McDonald House scheduled a visit from CNN to interview Kathryn on her foundation. They are airing a segment on giving during the holidays and were moved by her story.

We are well on our way to putting one air purifier in every room at the Hershey, PA Ronald McDonald House. We only need 10 more purifiers, or $450 dollars and we'll be putting in an order to Secure Air.

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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, December 19, 2009