Thursday, March 31, 2011
Surprise!
We got an e-mail today that said we were accepted for one of our scholarships. Yee-ha! This scholarship will pay for Kolton's device, which is about $4,000. We can't believe it. Keep watching, as things seem to change rather quickly around here.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Meeting of the Minds
We had a productive afternoon planning for the golf outing and auction. Thanks to Terry, Jerry, Wanda, Gary, Cheryl and Amy for joining us. We came up with some great ideas. Let the fun begin! I can't wait for June 4th!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Golfing and Good Times!
Who is ready to go golfing? Brian's friends are planning a golf fundraiser for Saturday, June 4. It will be held at Pioneers Golf Course. The outing will be a 4-person scramble, with great prizes.
For those of you that don't golf, don't worry, we'll still have fun. We will be having a lunch and auction after the golf outing. We are working on getting autographed Husker items, autographed NFL items, concert tickets, jewelry and much more!
We are very excited and thankful for all of this support. It should be a great event! I will put out more information about registration, etc. as soon as I know. Can't wait to see everyone there!
For those of you that don't golf, don't worry, we'll still have fun. We will be having a lunch and auction after the golf outing. We are working on getting autographed Husker items, autographed NFL items, concert tickets, jewelry and much more!
We are very excited and thankful for all of this support. It should be a great event! I will put out more information about registration, etc. as soon as I know. Can't wait to see everyone there!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
This warms my heart!
Today, Kolton made a new friend. A very special friend. A student in Ms. Smith's class heard about Kolton's story and his need for surgeries and felt compelled to help out. His mom said that he got a piggy bank for Christmas and has been filling it ever since. Well, Juwlien decided that he could help Kolton out by giving him his piggy bank with all of his change. Juwlien even wanted to hand deliver the money to Kolton.
So, after school today, Kolton met Juwlien for the very first time. Juwlien walked into the office, standing tall and proud, with his bag full of money. He took the change out of the bank, so Kolton could count the money before he put it back in the piggy bank. When Juwlien gave Kolton his gift, Kole was thrilled.
Of course, I sat back and cried. It's unbelievable to me that an 8-year-old boy would be willing to give away his piggy bank and all of his money to a little boy he has never met. We are so thankful and proud of Juwlien.
Juwlien's family also wrote a nice card with a generous donation to support Kolton. Words can't express the gratitude that we feel for Juwlien and his family. This is truly a moment that has forever changed all of our lives.
So, after school today, Kolton met Juwlien for the very first time. Juwlien walked into the office, standing tall and proud, with his bag full of money. He took the change out of the bank, so Kolton could count the money before he put it back in the piggy bank. When Juwlien gave Kolton his gift, Kole was thrilled.
Of course, I sat back and cried. It's unbelievable to me that an 8-year-old boy would be willing to give away his piggy bank and all of his money to a little boy he has never met. We are so thankful and proud of Juwlien.
Juwlien's family also wrote a nice card with a generous donation to support Kolton. Words can't express the gratitude that we feel for Juwlien and his family. This is truly a moment that has forever changed all of our lives.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
How can we thank you enough?
Wow! What an overwhelming turnout! We are so appreciative for everyone that came out to support Kolton. We can't thank Kim, Dan and Matt enough for putting this event together. The Taco John's staff
(84th and Leighton) was wonderful and the food was great!
After we left Taco John's, we reflected on the evening as a family. There are so many emotions that we are all feeling right now...happy, grateful, appreciative. Kolton made a comment tonight that summed it all up. He started to cry and said, "I can't believe so many people care about me." Sometimes, things are better said from a 9-year-old's perspective. I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks, again, for everyone's support!
(84th and Leighton) was wonderful and the food was great!
After we left Taco John's, we reflected on the evening as a family. There are so many emotions that we are all feeling right now...happy, grateful, appreciative. Kolton made a comment tonight that summed it all up. He started to cry and said, "I can't believe so many people care about me." Sometimes, things are better said from a 9-year-old's perspective. I couldn't have said it better myself. Thanks, again, for everyone's support!
Big Day!
Well, today is the big day! Kolton is very excited! We are hoping for a huge turnout at Taco John's tonight. Can't wait to see everyone.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Taco John's Tomorrow
We are so excited about going to Taco John's tomorrow! We are planning on being there around 4:45 and staying for a while to meet and greet. Thanks to Kim, Dan and Matt for all of their hard work putting all of this together. We are truly appreciative! Hopefully we'll see you at Taco John's tomorrow night- 84th and Leighton.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Hello, friends!
Wow! I never thought that I would actually create a blog to raise money for Kolton. Thanks to Melissa G, I think I've got the hang of it!
Some of you may know that Kolton was born with a very rare syndrome, called Nager's. There are only approximately 200 people in the world that have been diagnosed with Nager's. Kolton's syndrome has brought some difficulties to his life. He has skeletal issues in his hands, he has a compromised airway, he has utilized a feeding tube and has moderate/severe conductive hearing loss. Kolton has gone through about 8 surgeries so far. Our family has always said that we would seek out the "best of the best" doctors and surgeons for Kolton. We have been able to provide him with everything that he needs medically, up to this point.
Kolton is in need of a BAHA, Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. This process requires two surgeries where doctors surgically implant the aid into his skull. When we first started inquiring about the surgeries, we were quoted a price of approximately $64,000. Our private insurance has denied us twice to cover any of the surgeries. At this time, the hospital has brought down their quote to approximately $50,000. Boys Town National Hospital has graciously reduced the cost of surgery by 60%, which leaves us with approximately $20,000 plus the cost of the aid ($4,000).
It is a truly overwhelming feeling to not be able to provide what your child needs medically. We have completed several scholarship forms from various foundations. We have been denied by one, so far. We continue to hold out hope on the others.
Kolton's cub scout pack donated about $200 to start our fundraising efforts. My wonderful friends, Callie and Jenny, have helped raise $1700 from the staff at McPhee. Another friend, Kim, and her fiance' have agreed to host a benefit at Taco John's. That is happening this Wednesday and I can't wait!
Our family is truly appreciative of all of the support that we have received thus far. We know that we have a long way to go, but continue to have hope that we will raise the money.
Some of you may know that Kolton was born with a very rare syndrome, called Nager's. There are only approximately 200 people in the world that have been diagnosed with Nager's. Kolton's syndrome has brought some difficulties to his life. He has skeletal issues in his hands, he has a compromised airway, he has utilized a feeding tube and has moderate/severe conductive hearing loss. Kolton has gone through about 8 surgeries so far. Our family has always said that we would seek out the "best of the best" doctors and surgeons for Kolton. We have been able to provide him with everything that he needs medically, up to this point.
Kolton is in need of a BAHA, Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. This process requires two surgeries where doctors surgically implant the aid into his skull. When we first started inquiring about the surgeries, we were quoted a price of approximately $64,000. Our private insurance has denied us twice to cover any of the surgeries. At this time, the hospital has brought down their quote to approximately $50,000. Boys Town National Hospital has graciously reduced the cost of surgery by 60%, which leaves us with approximately $20,000 plus the cost of the aid ($4,000).
It is a truly overwhelming feeling to not be able to provide what your child needs medically. We have completed several scholarship forms from various foundations. We have been denied by one, so far. We continue to hold out hope on the others.
Kolton's cub scout pack donated about $200 to start our fundraising efforts. My wonderful friends, Callie and Jenny, have helped raise $1700 from the staff at McPhee. Another friend, Kim, and her fiance' have agreed to host a benefit at Taco John's. That is happening this Wednesday and I can't wait!
Our family is truly appreciative of all of the support that we have received thus far. We know that we have a long way to go, but continue to have hope that we will raise the money.
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