Day 1 In Country: Arriving in Tegucigalpa & Meeting Some of the Team

(Becky: Connie's first blog entry came in with the note: Pooped. Headed to Bed. But it's going to be amazing!)

I was up at 3, dropped off at Will Rogers International at 4, and sitting on the tarmac having the plane de-iced at 6! (In Oklahoma in October.) That was a crazy start to an amazing day. The next amazing thing was realizing that almost the entire, booked flight from Atlanta to Tegucigalpa was filled with missionaries from North America. There were multiple groups from all over the US flying in to perform all nature of humanitarian works. And they were a joyful lot. I don’t know if I’ve ever been on such a noisy flight.

Honduras is simply beautiful! Approaching from the air we could see the terrain; not mountainous like the Rockies, but ragged hills covered in green with clusters of civilization hanging off of the sides of the bluffs. The flight’s grand finale came when all passengers braced themselves as the airplane shuddered to an abrupt halt on the abbreviated runway and then burst into spontaneous cheers and applause.

Immigration and customs in Honduras was uncomplicated. Once through, I began to meet other members of the team. Those assembled visited in a little airport cafe and got to know each other a bit as others arrived from all over (Vancouver, Toronto, Lexington, Memphis, Boston, Chicago, Austin....so far.) I am the only non-medical personnel, alongside of these amazing specialists. Meeting them outside of their professional settings was a delight. Mostly, I was a silent observer, trying to learn all I could. But when my curiosity got the best of me, and I asked a question, they were so helpful and patient giving me in-depth answers.

I learned that David is the BioMedical member of the team. And what does a BioMedical Technician do? He is responsible for the maintenance and calibration of all of the high tech (or not quite so, in the case of developing countries) medical equipment that the surgeons, perfusionist, anesthesiologists, nurses and pediatricians will use in their work. Without his expertise, no one else could work their magic. And what is a perfusionist, I asked? A perfusionist manages the oxygen and blood flow, and pressure, and body temperature (and many other important things) of the heart surgery patient, while the pediatric cardiac surgeon repairs the baby’s heart. And what is an Intensivist? An intensivist is the doctor responsible for all of the patients in the Intensive Care Unit...round the clock, when the procedures are over and the others go back to the hotel to sleep.

Tomorrow morning we go to the hospital and the ICHF surgeons will consult with the local pediatric cardiac team to begin to determine which children to treat during the next few weeks. Andrea is our organizer and front team. She arrived early to make sure that everything was prepared to maximize the productivity of the mission. She explained that the first two days may include a few less complicated surgeries so that the two teams can become familiar with working together. During the following few days, the more complicated surgeries will occur, giving those patients the longest recovery time possible, before the ICHF mission is over. I had never thought about the amount of preparation and strategizing that would be required to pull off this mission.

I kept the camera stuffed in my day pack, so I could ease into the transition and just hang out with the team. Tomorrow the camera comes with me and I’ll begin to document the goings-on at the hospital. We will be organizing supplies and setting up the OR. I got to meet Shaun, a staffer from ICHF, whose mission will be taking videos of many of the same things I’ll be taking photos of. While the medical team is focused on healing babies hearts, we’ll be collaborating to bring you some of the touching stories involving the families who are hoping against hope that their little ones will receive one of these life-saving surgeries, and have a chance to have a normal, healthy childhood.

All through the day, the others asked me, “So what is your role on the mission, Connie?” Pointing to the MOHF logo on my tee shirt, I briefly shared the story of Oakes, and the amazing foundation that we are all helping to create and perpetuate. I could see the look of genuine awe in their faces. These are wonderful, skillful, talented professionals. They are devoting their careers to healing, and donating their vacations and free time to volunteering because they want to share their expertise with children who would not have a shot at life otherwise. And yet, in each of their reactions, I could see that they really got it...the understanding, on some level, of what these frightened, exhausted  families go through as they cling to the hope of a miracle. And how the families need some healing of their own. ICHF is doing tremendous work. There will be 45 international medical missions this year to underdeveloped countries...three of them beginning this week. They are a wonderful partner for MOHF, raising the money to send these teams around the world, and working out all of the in-country logistics. I am honored to be here, and ready to help in every way I can.

The surgeries won’t begin until Monday morning, but tomorrow I hope to bring you so photos and introduce you to some of the wonderful men and women who are assembling in Tegucigalpa to begin the work of healing hearts.

Baby Ortyl blog lovers, meet my amazing Mother, Connie.

The idea of jumping onto Becky's blog and posting for a week is purely intimidating. I'm not even going to try to fill my daughter's shoes. She has walked through these past few year with such strength and beauty. I am in awe of her. I have missed her frequent posts, and have continued to encourage her to post about all of the amazing things that she and MOHF are doing. I hope her blogging will continue; I know that she gives us all so much.

So here I come, mother and grandmother, with a different perspective. It has been difficult to watch my helpless little grandson struggle for his life, and at the same time watch my daughter's heart break. Before I ship out for Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and my week with the BabyHeart Medical Mission, I'd like to share a bit about my background...my story within the story.

When I was but 8 months old, I endured a life-threatening burn accident. Lying in a bathinette, I grabbed the cord of a coffee percolator, and dumped the entire contents onto myself: appliance, scalding coffee grounds, and boiling coffee. I've never known very much about the accident or the recovery process. I know that I went into shock after one loud scream, that I was in the ICU for about a month. My hospitalization was almost 65 years ago, at a time when parents were not encouraged, or even allowed to assist with their child's care. My parents were only able to visit with me for about one hour a day. I know that I incurred first, second, and third degree burns over my entire body, and the doctors told my parents that I would probably not survive, but if I did I would probably never have hair or eyebrows. I grew up in the midst of almost complete silence regarding the accident, my scars, and the story that went with it. And the fact that no one ever talked about my accident gave it a shameful feeling and so, of course, I didn't ask about it either.

Every now and then I learned a new tidbit, usually when I overheard my mother answering someone else's questions about the scar on my arm. I learned the most amazing and disturbing piece of information about eight years ago. My uncle (my mother's younger brother) told someone that he remembered seeing me the day they brought me home from the hospital. I was wrapped completely in gauze bandages, except for little openings for my eyes and my mouth. That visual brought some strong emotion to my reality, which up until then had been a story that I would recite without any real feeling. And yet, even though I had no memory of any of it, I assumed that the story was not a happy one.
When Becky & Greg were first told about Oakes heart defect, I thought surely it was a misreading of the ultrasound. How could they possibly detect a heart defect at eighteen weeks? Each time they went back for a repeat, I was certain the signs would disappear. This was not to be. I was delighted and honored when Becky and Greg told me that little Oakes middle name would be Lee, in honor of me, because they wanted him to be brave and strong, like I had been, to endure whatever was coming.
Towards the end of Becky's pregnancy, Dale and I visited the Ortyls and accompanied them on a tour of the NICU and the CICU, where we were told Oakes would be spending a good deal of time in the beginning. Although I tried to be present and appropriate, walking through those units that day was excruciating. I felt I was in a foreign world. It was terrifying to see those tiny, helpless babies hooked up to such big machines, with so many lines and monitors running in and out of their little cribs. Lights were blinking, monitors buzzing, and parents were sitting in darkened rooms near their sick little babies. I wanted to fold in on myself and become as small and contained as possible. I didn't want this world to become a part of mine.

Although Becky went full term, Oakes birth was a scheduled event. And unlike my experiences with the births of my other grandchildren up until that time (Beau, Gray, and Isla) I was not allowed to be with Becky at Oakes' birth. We Fox girls sat with her during labor, but when it was time for Oakes to be delivered she was taken away from us (Sarah, Christina, and myself) and rolled into an operating room, where the walls were lined with pediatric specialists...just in case. Becky had a few brief moments with Oakes once he arrived, and then Greg and I escorted the pediatric team that wheeled him over to St. Louis Children's and into the NICU. Those first few days were scary. We knew his heart was not properly formed, and that in a very short time he would need his first open heart surgery. I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could, and hold him as much as possible. For the first few days Becky was still in Barnes, but could visit often. Then she went home and was trying to spend time with Isla and rest up for what was coming. I sat rocking Oakes for hours, trying to keep him comfortable, and to prevent him from ever feeling alone. Of course, he was receiving excellent care in the NICU. Within a few days he was moved to the CICU, and it was in those first few days and weeks that I met so many of the wonderful nurses who loved and cared for Oakes. In the early, scary days, I leaned on Nurses Tammy and Mel. They were so kind, and competent, and reassuring.

Over the weeks, and months, I formed a very special relationship with Oakes. And he came to rely on me. We paced ourselves. He seemed to know when Dale and I would get on the road to return to St. Louis. I might get a report from Becky about how great he was doing, and mid-way there another report that something was happening, and by the time we arrived he would be sedated and paralyzed. He did his best to hold things together for as long as possible, but when he knew that Ena was on the way and his mom and dad would have some back up he could let go.

Every picture of Oakes brings a smile and a tear. He is remarkable. He was constantly enduring the most horrific procedures, but when he would wake up he would smile and joyfully wave his little arms. He went through so much, but he loved so well!

I don't know my story, but I do know Oakes' story, and you do, too. If he had lived, he never would have doubted for a moment what happened, and whether or not he was taken care of or left alone in fear. There is a blog a mile long, from here to there, documenting so many of the things that he went through in words and in pictures. And if he had ever needed to ask any questions, he could have asked any one of us, because we all know the story of Oakes. Becky and Greg made it a love story and they shared it with everyone. Oh, how that has given me hope. That my story was a love story, too.

So now I'm packing up and headeing to the hospital in Tegucigalpa, and a week of baby heart surgeries. You would never have convinced me that this would be so when I toured the CICU before Oakes was born. But over the months that I spent at SLCH, I gradually became familiar, and yes, often, even comfortable with the comings and goings in Room 9. I knew most of the nurses by name. And many of the docs, too. If I was there during rounds, and I stood by Oakes' door, they would include me in the discussion, asking how Oaksie was doing, asking about certain behaviors. You get to know people over the course of 15 months. My life in the CICU prepared me to say “yes” when Becky asked me to sign on for this next adventure. Like Becky said, I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing...just anything they ask me. I'll be carrying a camera and a tablet, sharing photos and stories with both the MOHF blog and the International Children's Heart Foundation blog. It's been a long journey from my first disturbing walk through the NICU. Right now, I feel a healthy mixture of apprehension and excitement. I've been praying for the team, and the children who will be undergoing these life-saving surgeries. I am expecting miracles and healing, for the families and for myself. 

Connie, who is Ena to her Grandchildren, holding Oakes and giving him his first bottle ever.

Connie Lee & Oakes Lee having a little love-fest in May, shortly before he left us. 

Ena, Grandpa Dale, Isla and Ashby making a statement!

Update from Becky

Hello friends.....Happy October!

I am not sure how October crept up on me, but here we are. In St. Louis our days are already shorter, we have had a couple of nights where we have kicked the heat on in the house and as I sit here in our living room I can hear a continuous little song created from acorns falling and bouncing around our backyard. Not a bad set up for an early morning, and WAY overdue update.

So in my last big post I shared that "I was back!" And I have been, just not so much with the blog. Sitting and typing just hasn't felt great, and I have selfishly gone with that. I have though, been busy, busy, busy - mostly with MOHF. Being active with MOHF, planning fund raisers and taking care of all of the behind the scenes work with MOHF has been just what I have needed. But I do regret not blabbing more about MOHF and what we have been doing. So here is a mini update:

In the beginning of the year I took some time to really set some goals for MOHF and come up with a strategic plan to give it a boost. I knew that my energy and time would be well spent by doing this, and I also knew that nothing else that I did with my time would feel as good and healing as helping other families that are living what we have been through. 

Behind the scenes Greg and I got all of MOHFs book keeping up to speed with the help of an accountant and Quick books. My personal laptop and home office is now all about MOHF with designated files and folders, I have systems in place to keep MOHF and myself as efficient and as prepared as possible. We streamlined our application and application process. Lots of housekeeping. 

You may have seen it already but we had a new website created! Our original one was great, but this on is just better. We have also been working on a promotional video for MOHF that we will share in about 4 weeks at our Heart Gala and then later online. Our goal with the video is to not only share it on the web, and through social media to tell the story of MOHF, but to also use it as a marketing tool to attract the attention of corporate sponsors. If you follow me on facebook, or even twitter you may be exhausted of hearing me promote MOHF events...selling tickets, SELLING SHIRTS, asking for votes, and support, prayers....I am always asking my friends and family for something, and I am getting tired of it. I keep telling myself that I am MOHFing people out! The support keeps coming, which is amazing, but for MOHF to grow we need support on a bigger scale. The work that we have done in the last two years - strictly talking about assisting families - validates that Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation is real, we are doing amazing work and for a community that desperately need help. MOHF is and has been changing lives and it has been humbling to be front and center to witness everything that has been happening.

Have you ever had a situation or a time in your life when things just fall into place and just HAPPEN in the most amazing way? Like, you could not have planned it better yourself? Well, for me that time is now. And all of the falling into place and beautiful surprises in my life seem to happen around MOHF. I would like to think it is because the universe agrees with this path that I am on. I am doing something right. I am putting good out there, and good is flooding back in!

Often when I stop to appreciate the strides we have made my mind goes back to Oakes. I would trade the warm fuzzies and pride I feel for MOHF in a heartbeat, to have that little stinker back with us. I would still trade the world for him, but I know that is not an option. And I am just thankful and teary that he was and still is mine, my Mighty boy, and I am proud that after all that we have been through we have been able to do so much for others and support this sweet Congenital Heart Defect community that desperately needs so much support. 

So in this update I want to share three nuggets with you:

Nugget #1. After telling you what a great job MOHF is doing, I have to give you an example. Here is a little glimpse into a family that we just helped two weeks. A seemingly small request from a family, but the actual gift, although an object and a payment - they mean peace of mind, and comfort. They will allow a family to slow down, catch up, and shower their little one with undivided love, so that she may continue to grow and thrive. 

Part of an application that we received:

"My daughter spent close to six months in the hospital last year. She has open heart surgery and couldn't breathe without a ventilator, which led to having a trach/vent/feeding tube. We eventually came home and began to settle into life. We have 112 hours of nursing. Her father has to make so much money a month so we can receive nursing. It is enough to get by, but refrigerator isn't cutting it anymore. I think it has to be at least 20 years old. Our daughter has refrigerated meds and her formula needs to be refrigerated as well. We had to fix our leaky rood, which means no money for a fridge. We have enough money each week in case an emergency happens. It recently happened that our daughter was hospitalized for a week, which means no gas money, lunch money, survival money. We don't need alot of things because our daughter is our greatest gift. She is an inspiration, a joy to be around, and just a good kid. She will most likely need another heart surgery soon. A refrigerator would help us, it is just one less "unimportant" thing to worry about. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this letter. It means alot." 

What MOHF did for this family: We payed 6 months of their mortgage, and gladly bought them a new refrigerator.

What this Heart Mom had to say after receiving our grant:

"I just want to thank you so much for what you have done for our family and what you are continuing for other family's. You guys are truly an amazing family and have an amazing organization. We try to provide the best for our daughter, which lets other things fall to the side. I want you to know we are so grateful for your help and that one day we WILL return that same generosity. One day I hope to meet you. Once again thank you so much."

Doesn't that make you feel good? This is what being MIGHTY is all about, to me.

Nugget #2. During Oakes' hospitalization we learned about an international organization called International Children's Heart Foundation. This foundation has relationships with hospitals in developing countries around the globe, and they make trips to these countries, usually several times a year, to offer FREE, lifesaving surgeries to children with congenital heart defects. Amazing right? 

What is even more astounding is that these missions are staffed by volunteers. The staff that fills the Operating rooms on these missions, the bedside nurses that recover these little ones, every hand on deck that makes these missions happen from unpacking supplies and equipment to the person that sends the very last cardiac patient home is staffed by cardiac care professionals from around the world who have chosen to take vacation time, leave their families for 2 weeks, travel to a developing country and offer these unknown children and their families a chance at life that they otherwise would never see. (ICHF does send staffers on these trips to manage logistics, but the bulk of the team are volunteers!) That to me is the beauty and magic of these missions! Selfless giving in the biggest and most powerful way. 

During Oakes' life there were a handful of CICU staff that went on these missions, or shared with me about previous missions that they had been on. Everytime I heard about a new mission I was just blown away. Here we were in a thriving country, in a state-of-the-art hospital, benefiting from the brilliant minds of an entire team of specialist around the clock, every day and every night. And then on top of that there were all of these little things that even I took for granted before hearing about these missions....like having air conditioning, or supplies and equipment to administer meds and read vital signs (what I assumed was necessary and essential and which are usually disposable in the US), a chair to sit it, and even the ability to speak to the doctors or be at Oakes' bedside whenever I wanted. Hearing stories about some of the staff's missions always slowed me down. I remember one story, and I don't remember now what country this happened in, but someone told me about a trip they went on and the hospital didn't have any vents for kids that needed breathing assistance. So if a kid needed that assistance it was the families job to have someone in the room, bagging the child - manually squeezing an inflatable bag, which was then forcing air into the child's airway ultimately sustaining their life! This could be a necessity for day or weeks or months I can imagine. I have been through alot with Oakes, I feel like I have seen so much - but bagging my own kid for hours or weeks with the help of family and friends as we take turns standing guard - I cannot imagine. Not even a little. Hearing these stories always made it clear that there was some other Mom out there that was probably having a harder day than me. 

So, after cruising ICHF's website and watching this video that was posted to ICHF's facebook page, I contacted ICHF and asked, "How can Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation help?" As you know, I am not a cardiac care professional (even thought I think I am), so I could not volunteer my time on a mission. But it was clear that ICHF would take any monetary donation that MOHF could make. ICHF estimates that it costs them $2,500 to provide one child with a lifesaving surgery, so MOHF has donated $5,000 to ICHF this year. In the grand scheme of things this donation is tiny, but it is another way for us to give, and a great way to connect with others in the CHD community. Giving a family a refrigerator - great. Paying their mortgage - super. Offering them a lifesaving surgery that they otherwise would not have access too - YES, powerful, amazing - sign us up!

So, two surgeries. Two heart babies. Two lives. Two smiling mothers. This feels really good. 

After talking through our sponsorship with ICHF, Bryan Artiles their Director of Marketing & Specialty Fundraising, said that with the donation we could send someone on a mission as a volunteer. I slammed on the breaks in my always spinning little brain when I heard this. I welled up with tears at the thought of actually going on one of these trips. I immediately asked Bryan for more details and after talking and emailing about this for some time, we came up with a agreement that I would go on a mission with ICHF and blog all about it. I would share my experiences and thoughts as well as post images documenting my time on the trip. I would stand on my MOHF pedestal and give my new ICHF friends a mighty shout-out, and they in-turn would do the same for us. They would share on their blog about MOHF and what we are doing - we would cross reference our readers, and supporters. We would help each other out.

There are many little details between that agreement and what today's plan is, but the short of it is that I will not be going on a mission with ICHF this year, but my amazing, loving, and MIGHTY mother, Connie Fox Moore will be heading to Tegucigalpa, Honduras in less than a week as a Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation representative and she will be posting blog updates here along with images that she captures on her trip. She will be in Honduras for a week and will try to post daily if that will be possible with her schedule and Internet connections.

Since my Mom is not a cardiac care professional either, she will be asked to help out in lots of non-medical ways. She could be helping to set up the OR, she could be assisting the nursing staff, she could be sitting with parents while their kids are in surgery, or just loving on those little ones when they come out of surgery. We are not completely sure how they will use her, but she will be there and MOHF will be there!

Throughout Oakes' life my Mom was not only at my side constantly, but she was with Oakes all of the time. A round trip drive from her house to mine is about 16 hours, and she would do this every other week. She loved and still loves Oakes like crazy. She was without a doubt one of his biggest fans, and he hers. They had a special connection. Oakes middle name Lee, is also my Mom's middle name. I have no doubt that some of his mightiness came from her. So, I know this trip will touch close to home for my Mom. She is used to traveling long distances to stand at the side of a fighting, fragile little heart baby. She knows that CICUs have good days and bad. She took the crash course in CICU language with me, so she speaks the language. My Mom has strength that seems endless. She is a nurturing mother to her core and I am confident she will leave her amazing mark on Tegucigalpa, and the families and volunteers that she gets to know. And I have this feeling that even as she leaves the US this shining individual, she will come back from Honduras, a more compassionate, more appreciative, more humble little mother and grandmother. I just imagine her heart of gold will shine a little brighter.

I cannot wait to read her posts and learn about her trip. As her posts come in, I hope you will follow her journey. She will post before she leaves to introduce her self and say hello!

Nugget #3. There are lots of words in this post. Lots of good words, but still. One of my favorite parts of blogging is posting great photos. So here I go. In the Spring Isla and Greg and I flew from St. Louis to Maui for a 9 day get-away. Greg and I have been to Maui several times, just the two of us and I think it is heaven on earth. I LOVE Maui. I have gotten teary every time we have left the island, so for me this trip was definitely an escape. I just wanted to run away for a bit and that is what we did. 

Our time there was spent in very low keys ways. We did some sight seeing, but only when it easily fit into our lazy schedules. Isla was not that impressed with waterfalls, and whales. If you asked what her the best part of the trip was she will tell you it was the hotel's chlorinated pool with a huge "hot pool" to its side. We really could have been in the St. Louis Holiday Inn by the airport and I think she would have had the same dreamy glaze over her eyes while bobbing in the pool!

Ok, so no more words....here are the images from out trip. Lots or beauty, lots of sun shine and of course, I was seeing heart everywhere!

XOXO, 

Mighty LOVE, Becky

The view is always better on Papa's shoulders!

Whale watching....

Cardinals baseball via Slingbox and Maui brewing. 

She loved the beach!

Isla spotted one of the best hearts from the trip... chipped paint on the inside of a bathroom stall, in a stinky beach bathroom.

Golfing!

 Underwater viewing deck in a little tourist boat....lots of amazing sea life to take in!

 Big Heart rock!

And another!

Lava heart.

Feeding the Coi.

Maybe the biggest heart leafs ever!

Lots of little hearts making up one big heart.

Isla being brave!

Black sand beach.

Lots of smiles!

 Thanks for finding us, Oakes!

We can't wait to go back!

Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation - Heart Gala - 11/16/13

Good afternoon, friends and family.  We hope you are all doing well.  Quick update for you from Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation….

 

Although our precious Oakes passed on to heaven almost 16 months ago, his legacy lives on bigger and better than ever here on Earth.  Our biggest fundraiser of the year is quickly approaching.  Yes, it is that time….Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation’s 2013 Heart Gala – dinner, auction, party!  Saturday night, November 16^th (this is TWO Saturdays before Thanksgiving) in St. Louis at historic Chase Park Plaza held in the elegant, rooftop Starlight Room.  It  will be an amazing night full of auctions, food, drinks, stories and a band to cap the evening.  I have included details of the evening below.  Ticket sales are OPEN.  We are selling individual tickets as well as tables and sponsorships for the evening.  For individual tickets, simply go to our new website at this link - http://www.mightyoakes.org/#!shop/c1djs.  For those interested in purchasing a full table and/or being one of our mighty sponsors, please go to this link for more information –  http://media.wix.com/ugd/6af4d5_462d69788e71a98beed7631600e40b4b.pdf.  To reserve a full table and/or a sponsorship, you must contact Becky Ortyl at becky@mightyoakes.org or 314.374.5300.  There are only 320 seats available at the gala and we anticipate selling out, so please don’t wait to buy your tickets!

 

Love,

Greg, Becky & Isla Ortyl

Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation

To learn more about MOHF, visit www.mightyoakes.org

To learn more about Oakes & the Ortyl family, visit www.babyortyl.blogspot.com

 

P.S. – if you are interested in donating an item for the silent or live auction, please contact Becky as we are still gathering items of all size and scale.

P.P.S. – So many of you have already generously donated, so we wanted to attach a letter from Becky detailing who and how your donations have helped!!  Much more detail on this at the Gala.

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Gala Agenda

The evening starts at 6:00pm in the Zodiac room:

·         Silent auction

·         Wine pull

·         Several great raffles throughout the silent auction

·         Open bar and Hors d'oeurves

·         Photo booth

 

At about 7:30pm we will move to the Starlight room for:

·         Seated, three course dinner

·         Open bar

·         Presentation of sponsors during dinner

·         We will be debuting a 4 minute professional video highlighting what MOHF has been doing these last couple of years and who we have helped.

·         At the end of the video, the live auction will start. 

·         As soon as the live auction ends, the band - Groovethang! will start playing and the after-party will begin!

·         Coffee and snacks will be served in the Zodiac room for those who are checking out and want to mingle away from the band.

 

Special room rates of $179 are available at the Chase Park Plaza (www.chaseparkplaza.com or 314.633.3000) both Friday and Saturday night. Just refer to Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation when making your reservation. 

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Taking orders for shirts til this Tuesday!

Hi friends!

I have been working on a real post, but I wanted to quickly share that we are ordering some MOHF shirts this coming Tuesday, so let us know if you want a shirt or two, or six!

The shirts are red and a tri-blend shirt, so they are super soft and very stretchy. We are selling them in a unisex adult size and youth sizes. All shirts are $20. We are requesting an extra $3 if we need to mail to you. I am including pictures of the shirt, a size chart and images of my new red tri-blend shirt with a classic MOHF shirt over it to illustrate the size difference.

If you are interested in buying shirts, simply go to this link on our website and select Memorial Donation. In the personal message box, please include your order (be sure to specify adult sizes or youth sizes), and your mailing address.

Shirts will be ready at the end of the month, and we will mail/distribute them then.

If you have questions, comment below or email me: becky@mightyoakes.org

{Also, my sweet and creative sister Christina Fox has started a business doing calligraphy for many purposes. She wrote this "i am Mighty" for us, which I absolutely LOVE!!!  If you are interested in following another Fox girl, you can follow on Instagram at: instagram.com/sendingheartstrings or view her website: Sendingheartstrings.com}

Here is my my medium 100% cotton shirt from the Celebration last year, laying over my new shirt. The new shirts are just a smidge bigger in width, but definitely in length. And they have so much give to them, I think everyone will LOVE them!

Thank you all! Hope you have a great weekend!!

Becky

FW: The Latest From Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation...

Good evening, friends and family.  I hope everyone is doing well and had a happy and safe holiday weekend.  Just wanted to pass along a few updates for you all.  There is a lot going on and we wanted to share! 

 

·         Congenital Heart Night at the Ballpark.

o   This was a massive success, several thousand dollars raised for MOHF and a magical night across the board!

o   For those of you who were not there, yes, I bounced the ball, but I did throw it hard.  Microcosm of my college baseball career, I suppose.  Some great pictures attached, including a picture of our family and Dr. Huddleston (Oakes’ lung transplant doctor) and his daughter.

o   Just before I pitched, I was able to sprinkle a pinch of Oakesie’s ashes just behind the mound, so the Redbirds will have some extra mighty-ness when they need it most. 

o   Our dear friend, Heidi Drexler, put together a nice slideshow w/music at http://vimeo.com/66485024

·         Save The Date for the blow-out Dinner-Auction “Heart Gala” on Saturday, November, 16, 2013 in the Starlight Room at the Chase Park Plaza.  More details attached.

o   Undoubtedly, another magical night is in store.  Hundreds of people, amazing auction items, one of the best evening ballroom/balcony settings in St. Louis (a stone’s throw from Oakes’ CICU room) and lots of food, drinks and dancing, yes, dancing after dinner.

o   We have not done this since November, 2011, so there is some pent-up energy in the air for this event….

·         WE NEED YOUR VOTE!!

o   Eagle Rare, the premium Kentucky Bourbon, recognizes one person each year who “leads a rare life.”  Becky’s family nominated her and she is now in competition with dozens of other rare lifers for the opportunity to have $40,000 donated to the charity of their choice!

o   That’s right, $40,000.  The final 20 rare-lifers are determined strictly by Internet voting, so please go to this site, as often as you think about it, to vote for Becky!!  http://www.eaglerarelife.com/content/becky-fox-ortyl

o   7 finalists will be selected by Eagle Rare from the top 20 vote-getters and then one of those 7 will be the Grand Prize Winner for 2014 and $40k will be donated to charity in that person’s name.  Also, Eagle Rare throws a little shindig for that person, which would be a blast as well.  Voting is through January, so let’s get her in the top 20 and let the story take us to the grand prize!

·         Save The Date for the 2^nd Annual 5K on Saturday, September 28, 2013.

o   This was a great event last year and I may even run the thing this year!

·         Save The Date for the Inaugural PEG Bandwidth Golf Tournament Benefitting Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation (for those who can get to Dallas, anyway) on Thursday, October 17, 2013.

o   My company has been gracious enough to donate any net proceeds from our 1^st ever golf tournament to MOHF!  We will be playing a shot-gun tournament around Noon that day at a great golf course called The Tribute.

o   Golf shirts, visors, raffle prizes, celebrities, food, drink – it’ll be a blast.  More details to follow, but the net of this one is if you have any interest attending, email me otherwise you probably will not get a formal invite.

·         Becky was on live television Sunday morning.  Yep.  Of course, she rocked it.  It was very emotional when they started rolling the pictures and the video from when this TV station covered Oakes’ 1^st Birthday, but some great memories.  We actually had a family reach out to us already based on seeing the story on TV! 

o   Check it out:  http://fox2now.com/2013/07/07/family-works-to-help-others-facing-tough-diagnosis/

o   You can search “mighty oakes” from their home page to see last year’s story if you want.

·         Since we started MOHF, we have raised over $200k and have helped, in some way, about 25 families.  We have also coordinated many “treats” to the staff at the Heart Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and we have also donated many dozens of items to the Heart Center which will directly impact & improve the quality of the stay families and patients will have there.

·         We have hired a firm to produce a video segment on MOHF – who we are, what we do, who we help.  Should have that ready in the next couple of months.  Can’t wait!

 

There are several more events this year including a pizza-wine dinner at Dewey’s and a team for the Rock n’ Roll marathon.  The best way to keep in touch with us is through our Facebook page.  I’d give it to you, but I’ve never been since I’m not on FB, but I’m probably the only one on this email distro, eh?  FB, check us out!

 

Love,

Greg, Becky, Isla

www.mightyoakes.org

www.babyortyl.blogspot.com