I want to start off by letting all of your fans know that everything is ok. You well know what an insane past month we have been through but that's still no excuse for not keeping in touch with everyone. It's amazing how many people have called, text, and emailed to check on you since they haven't seen any recent notes. I do plan to do my best to bring everyone up to speed but not in this note. This note is about a very special event that happened right after mommy wrote last.
About a month ago a fundraiser took place in your honor. We couldn't have asked for better weather or a more amazing group of people to be surrounded by. It took place at Grand Sands in Milford and not only were mommy and daddy both able to attend but you made an appearance yourself for a few hours. It was by far one of the best days mommy and daddy can remember during the past year. Although we will never forget the day I wanted to make sure you had a note about it that you could read when you were older.
The day consisted of a HUGE corn hole tournament, the biggest raffle ever, music, split the pot, games, food and drinks, massages, and a serious volleyball tournament. I think it's safe to say that everyone who attended had a blast. Mommy and daddy were truly humbled. We could not believe the amount of people who attended, contributed, volunteered, and donated. Person after person came up to mommy and daddy to show their support. Mommy has to be honest in saying that there were several times throughout the day that she had to choke back tears. All of these people gathered, worked and celebrated for you Connor. Most of them had never met you until that day but have thought about and prayed for you almost daily for the past nine months. The crowd was quite a blend of people from immediate family to, cousins, great aunts and uncles, friends of grandma and grandpa, friends of uncle Scooter and Auntie Beth, friends of friends, lots of awesome people mommy used to work with from Carespring, friends daddy has worked with in several different adventures over the past 10 years, friends of mommys from high school and college, friends of daddy's from college, even mommy's old boss from LaRosa's and your heart buddy Ava plus her whole family.
The day was so well organized and thought out. There is no way this amazing day couldn't have happened without a lot of people but one in particular needs a special thank you. I'm not sure what relation she would be considered to you Connor but Valerie is mommy's cousin. Her and mommy grew up very close and actually called each other sisters for a while. When I talk about her to you I call her your aunt so although that may not be technically correct that's what we call her Aunt Valerie. She is one of the busiest people I know but also has one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen. Without ever haven gotten to meet you she took it upon herself to organize this event in your honor. Somehow she juggles working two jobs, raising four kids, coaching a million volleyball teams and playing volleyball herself yet she found time to drum up donation after donation for you, organize a corn hole and volleyball tournament, recruit volunteers, and spread the word to hundreds of people. She is a truly special person and we can't thank her enough. We would love to make this an annual event, that is if your Aunt Valerie is up for it :-)
The results of her hard work raised over nine thousand dollars for your fund. Mommy and daddy can't wait to use a portion of that money to help some of the organizations that have made our lives possible during the past year. We are working on setting up a program with your equipment company (RSVP) to help pay for portable suction machines for kiddos with trachs. Ohio medicaid no longer pays for these machines and we are very fortunate that RSVP has continued to provide these to families purely at a cost to them. Without these machines it would be impossible for you to leave the house even to go to the doctor. RSVP is a great company that has amazing customer service and a genuine concern for their clients. We also have donated and plan to continue to donate to the Ronald McDonald house. They provided a home for mommy and daddy for nearly 5 months so that we could still be close to you yet get rest and food ourselves. I know we have written about them before but we just can't say enough about how awesome of a place the Ronald McDonald house is. There are two other organizations that mean a lot to mommy and daddy but we haven't narrowed down how we will contribute to them. One of them in the CHARGE foundation which provides support, education and resources for children and families with CHARGE syndrome. There is a CHARGE conference every two years which unites CHARGE families from across the world. Mommy was very sad we weren't able to go this year but can't wait for 2015. Mommy and daddy would like to help make it financially possible for more families to attend what sounds to be a life changing event. Lastly we would love to contribute to the Cardiac Institute at Cincinnati Children's. These people not only saved your life (literally) but kept mommy and daddy alive during those most difficult months. We are forever gratefully to so many people and can't wait to pay forward even just a fraction of the generosity people have shown us.
Mommy and daddy tried to thank each person that contributed individually but we know that we missed some people. We have thank you notes for several folks (that were briefly packed and lost in the move but now have been uncovered) but with the commotion of the day we know there are people we are forgetting and we hate that. Thank you to Grand Sands for the donation of your beautiful facility and all of your help in running the tournaments. Thank you to Valerie and all of your family for the immense amount of time and energy that went into this event. Thank you to Jessica. Jessica had never met you or mommy and daddy yet helped your Aunt Valerie get donation after donation and put together every part of the special day. Thank you to all my aunts and cousins that worked the raffle all day long. Thank you to those who donated raffle items and those who bought tickets. Thank you for all the generous donations. I apologize to those that handed me cash that day and I didn't remember to send thank yous to. Thank you to everyone who was unable to attend this awesome day but sent monetary donations or well wishes and support from afar. Thank you to each and every person who attended the event. Whether you were able to stop by for five minutes or spend the entire day, each of you made a huge impression by being there. Mommy and daddy have missed seeing our friends and family so much over the past year that we wished the day could have just gone on and on so we could have caught up with everyone. Although we may have not seen most of you in person recently you have never been far from our thoughts. Your love and support have gotten us through these past nine months. We truly love you all and feel blessed to have you in our lives.
Connor I hope as the years go on and you grow bigger and stronger you will be able to play at events like these and hang out with all of the amazing people who have supported you from day one. I know that you could feel the outpouring of love that encompassed that day and the happiness it brought mommy and daddy.
To all of your fans.... thanks for you patience. I plan to try and write a note nearly everyday for the next week to try and catch everyone up. I unfortunately do not have any pictures from the event but would love if anyone has some they could share. Here are some pictures of Connor to brighten your day!
Mommy and daddy love you Connor
-Mommy
