FA L L 2 0 1 1 VO L U M E 7 NO.3 ANY BABY CAN Express 2 3 4 ABC Extends Services Gifts, Adoptions, Toys & Free Stuff Calendar Athena Award www.anybaby cansa.org New Style, New Venue Inside Facing a Lifetime of Health Crises, Journey & Her Mom Turn to ABC E Every morning, six-year-old Journey bounces out of bed, eager to explore the world and head for her first grade classroom to learn and play. But first, she has to swallow 20+ pills … a life-saving daily regimen that restores potassium and other vital nutrients constantly depleted through her battle with the rare Bartter syndrome. It’s a daily struggle for the six-year-old pixie with the bright blue eyes, who often balks at the pill-taking, forcing her mom, Christy, to coax, argue and even bribe her. This incurable, lifelong kidney disease has three expected outcomes: a lifelong daily ingestion of pills that can cost up to $5,000 per month; or a kidney transplant; or death. Since Journey was diagnosed with the congenital syndrome five years ago, Christy’s life has been consumed with caring for her daughter, named for the journey that brought her into this world. Christy was 35 years old and spent seven months of her pregnancy bedridden. When her four-pound baby girl arrived, she was named in commemoration of the long journey leading to her birth. A fragile infant, she was a magnet for every germ and constantly fought ear infections and colds. She was often lethargic and her growth was stunted. At just over a year old, her condition became critical; she was hospitalized and had to be resuscitated twice. Finally, doctors diagnosed the rare condition that affects only one in four million children. Bartter syndrome refers to a group of rare conditions that affect the kidneys and cause the kidneys to remove too much potassium from the body. Little Journey and her mom are constantly striving for balance and normalcy. Christy awakens in the night to massage Journey’s legs when she is seized by cramps. Stomachaches are a common malady. She can’t be exposed to intense heat or bright light. She must eat foods high in potassium. She is often hospitalized for the vague diagnosis of dehydration, although her condition is more complicated than that implies. That’s not to say Journey’s life is all sickness. Her mom says her little girl is “animated, energetic and dramatic and loves music, dancing, art, reading, bike riding and skateboarding.” (continued on page 3) Journey is an adorable, spirited child, full of life and joy. They get through it all with prayer, Christy says, and prayers were answered in the form of Any Baby Can. “I don’t know what we would do without them and our caseworker, Jana Garcia. They helped us with her meds when we relocated from Idaho to New Braunfels. If it hadn’t been for gifts from Any Baby Can, Journey wouldn’t have had Christmas … we were in financial ruin. They’ve helped us out in crisis after crisis … with gas cards, clothing vouchers, food cards, rent, utility assistance and referrals to other resources.” Christy says. (continued on page 2) 2 FA L L 2 0 1 1 ABC Extends Services To Military Families at Wilford Hall C Children of our military families now have easy access to Any Baby Can services and it’s a match made in patriotic heaven. Dawn Dixon, ABC Executive Director, says, “San Antonio is a hub for exceptional children in military families, and the Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic at Wilford Hall sees many children each year who could benefit from our services. Lt. Col. Jaime Phalen, M.D., has been a strong advocate for our presence and we are delighted that we’ve been invited to install a case manager part time at Wilford Hall.” Dominique Sanchez-York, ABC Case Manager, is now on site at Wilford Hall two days each week and has appreciated the warm reception the medical staff and parents have given to Any Baby Can. She says, “When military families transition to San Antonio and they have a child with chronic health issues, they get health care through the military, but they may not know how to access additional resources. Any Baby Can is helping these families with crisis assistance— specialized formula, diapers and referrals to local agencies, as well as other services. Once word is disseminated, we expect to see an abundance of families we can help.”Wilford Hall Medical Center (WHMC) at Lackland Air Force Base and Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston have combined their efforts to become SAMMC or San Antonio Military Medical Center. Wilford Hall has one of the largest military developmental pediatrics clinics in the country, along with an ambulatory pediatric clinic that sees many patients each year. ABC’s presence at SAMMC augments other Any Baby Can satellites including Methodist Hospital, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa downtown, Autism Community Network and Any Baby Can-New Braunfels. ! Athena Award Honors ABC & Dawn Dixon We’re proud of Any Baby Can and our Executive Director, Dawn Dixon, for receiving the Athena Organizational Leadership Award from the 2011 North Chamber of Commerce Women’s Conference. The Athena Leadership Award was inspired by the goddess of Greek mythology who was known for her strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment. The award honors individuals and organizations for professional excellence, community service and for actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. ! Facing a Lifetime… (continued from cover) Christy’s certified nursing assistant/medical assistant career came to a halt during pregnancy and she still cannot return to work. Caregiving and advocating for Journey are full-time jobs. In the future, she would like to return to school but she worries that’s a faraway dream. Christy suffered a serious setback recently when she was diagnosed with early stage ovarian cancer. Then one evening, Journey laid her little hands on her mother “and told me she wanted to get rid of my cancer. A week later, I was in church, crying and praying and Journey said to me, ‘Jesus said he took all your cancer away.’ When I had my hysterectomy, they could not find any sign of cancer.” Sandra Schlortt, Senio r Manager-Accentur e, Dixon with the Athe na Organizational Le presents Dawn adership Award. Any Baby Can case manager Jana Garcia says, “Christy is so truly thankful. And Journey is the cutest little thing ever. I am thrilled that Any Baby Can is able to help them. This is why this agency exists.” As testament to this little family’s positive attitude in the midst of ills, Christy’s cell phone ringer greets callers with the Bob Marley lyrics, “Don’t worry about a thing ‘cause every little thing gonna be all right.” Your gifts to Any Baby Can help children like Journey who suffer from chronic illness, complex medical needs and other special needs. With your support, 10,000 children and their families find hope, healing, nurturing and protection each year in the face of often insurmountable odds. ! 3 FA L L 2 0 1 1 Gifts, Adoptions, TOYS & Free 4 Ways to Help a Child We get giddy thinking about the holidays … all those lovely opportunities to reach out and touch someone. At Any Baby Can, we make it easy to tap into your charitable holiday spirit and make a major difference in a child’s life at this time of year when all should be merry and bright. W Any Baby Can offers four delightfully gratifying ways you can help a stranger this holiday season and beyond. We hope you’ll pick one or more … your heart will leap with joy and so will the hearts of those you honor with your generosity. Gifts! A year-end gift in any amount will help a family caring for a child with a chronic illness or complex medical needs. In these tough economic times, many of the 10,000 individuals we touch each year are in great need. Your gift will help provide … • Support, education and other services to the family of a child with autism. • Family support, diapers and formula for a premature baby. • Abuse prevention services, child development education and follow-up care to an at-risk teen mom and her baby. • Counseling, case management and referrals for a critically ill child and her family. • Grief support and funeral assistance to a family mourning the death of a child. • Prescription medication and crisis assistance to a family overwhelmed by the cost of caring for a sick child. Please remember Any Baby Can with an end-of-year gift. Change a life, offer hope to a family that has nowhere else to turn. You’re invited to use the attached envelope … and may you and yours be blessed this holiday season! Adopt! Stuff Many of our clients are strapped by the financial, mental and physical toll of caring for a sick child and cannot afford a holiday meal, gifts for their children or festive decorations. You can “adopt” a family for the holidays and transform their lives. Individuals, families and groups are invited. What you can do to help: • Purchase gifts for the families. • Provide a holiday meal. • Help with holiday decorations. • Deliver the celebration to your adoptive family. For details, please contact Collene Carey or Julia Lindow at 210-227-0170 or ccarey@anybabycansa.org or jlindow@anybabycansa.org. Toys! Toys bring joy … and our holiday parties for ABC children and their siblings offer a bright spot to hundreds of precious little ones. Thanks to our generous friends at the Historic Menger Hotel and the Faust Hotel for hosting parties on December 11 (San Antonio) and December 20 (New Braunfels). If your office, school or organization would like to hold a toy drive for Any Baby Can, call us at 210-227-0170 and we’ll provide the boxes. We need hundreds of new toys for infants through age 16 by December 9. And our staff and volunteers will handle the wrapping! If you’d prefer to make a cash donation, Santa’s Helpers will do the shopping for you. Free Stuff! For $50 you can buy a Book of Free and get 100 gift certificates worth $1500 in FREE movie tickets, meals, golf, retail goods and more. Any Baby Can is among the charities to benefit thanks to Nnovative Marketing Solutions. Buy one at any Valero or at BookofFree.com. www.anybabycansa.org! What would you like to know about Any Baby Can? You’ll find all the news and who’s who on our just-revamped website, www.anybabycansa.org. Check out our mission, services, latest happenings, upcoming events, supporters, board members, newsletter archives, employment opportunities and more. We’ll see you online! ANY BABY CAN S P R I N G 2Non-Profit 006 Express Organization U.S. Postage PAID CALENDAR 217 Howard San Antonio, Texas 78212 Please mark your calendars to join Any Baby Can and friends for these important events that raise awareness and support for the children and families we serve. January 20, 2012 49th Annual Alamo Kiwanis Western Heritage Art Show Full Goods Breezeway – Pearl Studio April 14, 2012 8th Annual Walk for Autism AT&T Center May 12, 2012 10TH Annual Jon’s 5k Run/Stroll Brackenridge Park Permit #3523 San Antonio, TX New Style, New Venue… Fabulous! What happens when you bring together sensationally chic fashions, beautiful runway models, a gourmet feast, a new venue and several hundred generous Any Baby Can supporters? Magic happens! The 17th Annual Any Baby Can Style Show and Luncheon on September 27, in the Pearl Stable, a new venue, attracted an enthusiastic crowd and grossed over $100,000 to benefit the children and families served by Any Baby Can. If we could, we’d knock on the door of every single person who sponsored this event, served on the committee, purchased a ticket, made a donation, contributed in-kind goods, bought raffle tickets, modeled the clothes from our dear friends at Julian Gold, prepared and served the delicious luncheon and in so many ways contributed to the success and made our children feel surrounded in love. We can’t knock on your doors, but we can express our sincere thanks and tell you that you are deeply appreciated. Special acknowledgement to our Platine, d’Or and Bronze sponsors, Julian Gold, Mistress of Ceremony Deborah Knapp, Luncheon Co-Chairs Ginger Doherty and Rachel Roberts and our caterer, Veronica Esparza/Absolutely Delicious. We were honored to present the 2011 Angel Award to Kymberly Rapier, Chief Executor of the Blake, Kymberly and George Rapier Charitable Trust … and we thank this family for their generous support of Any Baby Can. ! Enjoying the fun and fashions are, left to rig ht, Kenisha Baxter; Jeanie Allgeier, ABC Board member; and Ava Fletcher. Rick Byrd, ABC Board President, honors Kym Rapier as the 2011 Angel Award recipient at the Style Show and Luncheon.