By Julie Hutchison | President, Co-Founder and Chelsea's Mother
Thank you for your support of this wonderful program and for helping The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation bring families to Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland on November 4-5. Not only with these families be able to connect to others who truly understand this journey with seizures/epilepsy on Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland, but this trip will include a free day for all to enjoy learining about epilepsy and epilepsy advocacy groups. Over 30 non-profit groups will be there to answer questions on how their mission can help. The Chelsea Hutchison Foundation will be one of those non-profits. Round table discussions will be lead throughout the day by various medical professionals, supporters and advocates.
On July 16, 2015, six families names were drawn and were awarded with all expense paid trips to attend. These trips include airfare, hotel, Expo, 2-Day admission and meals. Our fundraising is continuing as we would like to raise enough to include (4) more families this year, as we did in 2014. Here is a Slideshow of those families who attended last year.
This year's winners to date are
Dylan R. (19) of Lake Worth, FL
Rylynn F. (9) of Arvada, CO
Madison P. (16) of USAF Academy, CO
Kaycee T. (6) of Marion, OH
Jay M. (8) of Raleigh, NC
Rebecca L. (16) of Bridgeview, IL
"As the single parent of four boys, even the barest of necessities are often seen as a luxury. My son has epilepsy, and faces many challenges as a result. I have always wanted to take my kids to Disney, but my income, coupled with concerns my child's health, made it a far off dream. I am a member of the Chelsea Hutchison Foundation online community and saw that they were offering an opportuty to attend Epilepsy Awareness Day at Disneyland. I contacted the Foundation, shared with themmy son's story and my desire to meet others like him who understand his condition, and perhpas make a friend. To my utter disbelieve, they awarded my family with the opportunity to participate . They are REAL people helping REAL people. I am so thankful for their dedication to the epilepsy community." (Dylan's Mother)
"Your cause is very important to all you serve and to me. I used to give to several charities but I did not like the overhead they took away from my donations to pay executives and not giving the most % money to those who need... I am very Proud of you and grateful in that you bring attention to the communities about SUDEP… in Loving Memory of your precious daughter Chelsea… a truly wonderful young Lady!" (Larry P., Colorado Springs, CO)
Because Epilepsy is so misunderstood, families fight daily for the help they need. Many are single-parent or one-income families who work incredibly hard to make ends meet. Add high medical costs and the care and equipment that can go along with an unstable individual, the burden is high. It is not uncommon for a family to have a loved one who seizes 50-100 times a day.
Community is incredlbly important when you are faced with these challenges. Many families dealing with the stresses of seizures/eplepsy are exhausted, both emotionally and financially. They deserve a break and The Chelsea Hutchison Foundaton grants comfort and hope to them.
Thank you again for your time. Please share this project with anyone you believe may be interested in helping.
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