Today we won $30,000 for CDH.....

A note from Dawn to our members.....

Today, we won $30,000 for our charity to help more families affected by CDH through research and support services.   This was a summer-long team effort and you are all so AMAZING and it brings tears to my eyes how proud I am of how everyone banded together to help our babies.

We might not have a lot at CHERUBS but there is one thing that we are never low on..... COMPASSION and you are all prime examples of that!

Thank you so very much for all so many of you have done over the past months to raise awareness and votes to help provide more services for CDH families. I hope you are all as proud of what you've done as I am proud of you and most importantly - as proud as the cherubs are of all of us.... those here, those looking down from Heaven.

And thank you so much to the other charities we've worked with and who have helped us to raise votes and awareness, those who worked with us (PWSA especially) behind the scenes dealing with security issues, who posted for votes for our charity too, who cared more about helping as many charities as possible than winning!!! We truly were blessed to be in a contest with other charities of such high integrity and compassion and professionalism!!!

Thank you to the other CDH charities who worked with us and voted with us to try to help more CDH families through the services we hope to offer them:

• CDH Rainbows
• The Olivia Raine Foundation
• Nayeli Faith Foundation
• SMILE (Chloe Tate Foundation)
• Real Hope for CDH
• And ALL the doctors, nurses researchers voting for us in their labs and offices and hospitals across the country!!!!

It takes a lot of love for the cause, integrity and class for other charities to campaign for another to win a large amount of money.   All of these charities voted and posted because they didn't care who the money went to as long as it helps CDH families and indeed it will.   These charities all embody the real spirit of the entire CDH community and we are so grateful for their support of all CDH families and charities!!!!

Thank you to the celebrities who helped us during this contest by posting and tweeting and even taking photos for us;  Patsy Pease (Days of Our Lives), Charles Shaunessy (The Nanny, Days of Our Lives) and Simon van Kempen (Real Housewives of New York) and local radio DJ "Bob the Blade", Miss Durham County Jaquetta Taborn-Moss and Miss Raleigh, Wendy Petty!

A special thanks to our CDH Vote Warrior team - this special task force of CDH moms and dads worked for days on end this week tirelessly for our children!!!  Those who held FB events to raise votes - you all raised the most CDH awareness and we are so proud of you1!!!  Those who submitted videos and photos. ALL of our amazing CDH parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends who went above and beyond to help us help more CDH families! God bless all of you for your limitless support this summer!!!

Thank you EVERYONE!!!!

And most importantly, thank you to APX Alarm... without whom we would not have had the opportunity to raise CDH Awareness to tens of thousands of people all summer long and to meet the amazing people we've met along the way and had the chance to raise funds to help CDH families. There will be lots of tears and hugs at the press conference! :)


The press conference / award ceremony will take place on September 14th here in North Carolina. All members are welcome to attend! Location details will be posted next week. There, we will also draw for the $1000 raffle and announce the winners for the "contests within a contest"!

Thank you all again, so very very much!!!!!!!!!!

Sincerely,
Dawn M. Williamson
CHERUBS President & Founder

Soap star Patsy Pease from Days Of Our Lives helping local charity in national contest to win $100,000 for critically ill babies

From MyNC.com - http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/Community/story/54414

Patsy Pease and her son, Russell, a CDH survivor

Updated: Aug. 16 4:24 pm

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WAKE COUNTY, N.C.

CHERUBS is a local charity, based in Wake Forest. We are currently battling between 1st and 2nd place in a national contest on Facebook for $100,000.

Patsy Pease is the celebrity spokesperson for CHERUBS, having a son who survived CDH.Patsy has been helping us through Facebook to get votes.

The Raleigh News & Observer did a piece on us in Sunday's paper.

The APX contest ends THIS week. We need all the local support and help that we can get. $100,000 would more than triple our charity's small annual budget—we help families in 38 countries so we need funds desperately for research and family support. CHERUBS also has 2 projects in the Pepsi Refresh contest

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia is a birth defect that occurs in 1 in 2500 babies; as common as Cystic Fibrosis and Spina Bifida. Over 600,000 babies have been born with CDH since 2000—it has taken the lives of over a quarter million of these children. It occurs when the diaphragm fails to fully form, allowing abdominal organs into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. 50% of these babies do not survive. The cause is not known. CHERUBS is the world's first and largest CDH charity and was founded right here in the Triangle in 1995 after my own son spent his first 10 months in the intesive care unit at Duke and then many subsequent hospitalizations at both Duke and UNC until he passed away at age 6. Please consider doing a piece on this story—we so need the votes and awareness for CDH. Thank you so much for your time and assistance

Press Release: Charity for Babies Born Without Diaphragms & Lungs Welcomes New Celebrity Spokeswoman, Patsy Pease

Press Release:

CONTACT:
Dawn Williamson *
dawn.williamson@cherubs-cdh.org
919.610.0129

Charity for Babies Born Without Diaphragms & Lungs Welcomes New Celebrity Spokeswoman, Patsy Pease

After struggling since 1995 to bring more awareness to Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, a birth defect that affects 1600 babies each year in the U.S., CHERUBS announces their first celebrity spokesperson, actress Patsy Pease.

Raleigh, NC - CHERUBS, a non-profit organization founded to not only help parents of children born with CDH, but to lead the medical community in finding the cause and prevention of this devastating birth defect, is working hard to raise Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness.

Founded in 1995 by Dawn Torrence, CHERUBS is the world’s largest CDH organization with over 2600 members in 38 different countries and all 50 states. Dawn is the mother of Shane Torrence (1/28/93-9/11/99), born with left-sided CDH and multiple birth defects. Immediately after Shane’s birth, Dawn searched for a support group, but there were none available. After spending hundreds of hours in the hospital's medical library researching CDH and finding support only from parents she met at the hospital, Dawn felt a great need for a CDH support group.

CHERUBS serves the CDH community without charging parents or medical care providers for it’s services. It receives no grant funding and has no paid employees. Fundraisers help to provide the services that CHERUBS offers, often on a shoe-string budget. Many charities are struggling during this economy and it is especially hard for smaller charities without marketing budgets to compete for media attention to awareness and for research funds. CHERUBS was thrilled when Ms. Pease agreed to become a spokesperson for a cause dear to her heart as well. “Whatever I can do to help will be my pleasure” Pease said.

Ms. Pease’s son was born with Eventration of the Diaphragm, a form of CDH and part of Arthrogryposis. Ms. Pease is well aware of the struggles CDH families face. “My son Russell was born with Arthrogryposis in 1990. He has had 11 surgeries before the age 0f 15. His first was to correct an eventrated diaphragm at 11 hours old. He was given a 10% chance for survival. Part of his multiple contracture and diaphragm problems resulted in Restrictive Lung Disease ( He breathes at 40 % capacity) Despite Russell's condition he earned a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 12. I was given invaluable advice by one of his surgeons long ago...."Don't treat him like anything is wrong with him and never do anything for him that he can do for himself". I watched with tears as he struggled to find his strengths and weaknesses and in turn discovered my own. I thank God for trusting and believing in me to care for my teacher, my inspiration.....my son.”

Eventration of the Diaphragm is a form of CDH that occurs when the weakened muscle of the diaphragm allows organs from the abdominal cavity to move into the chest cavity; but unlike more common types of CDH, the diaphragm remains intact. Arthrogryposis is a rare congenital disorder that is characterized by multiple joint contractures and sometimes includes muscle weakness and fibrosis.

CDH affects 1 in every 2500 babies, representing approximately 1600 babies in the United States each year, half of which do not survive. Some of the other half, like Torrence’s son, who only lived until the age of 6, end up suffering through life with lasting health problems such as feeding aversions, gastrointestinal problems, asthma, allergies, scoliosis, or long-term pulmonary problems. CDH has affected over a half million babies around the world since 2000.

“I wanted to create an organization to help those parents of children with CDH,” said Torrence. “I know exactly how it feels to be going through everything that they have to deal with and have no one to turn to, and I want them to know that CHERUBS is there for them every step of the way.”

There are more children born each year with CDH than there are children born with Cystic Fibrosis, and although there is no known cure or typical treatment, there is still a significant lack of research and awareness in the public and medical communities about CDH.

“There is still so much research that needs to be done,” said Torrence. “CHERUBS wants to be able to help as many families as possible, because we understand the hurt and confusion that comes along with having a child with CDH. We want to spare other families from the devastating effects of CDH so that more babies are lost to this birth defect.

In 2009 this birth defect should not still exist, much less still have so many unanswered questions and so little research. We will keep fighting, keep researching and keep raising awareness until the cause and prevention of CDH is found. We work toward saving babies in the future and honoring those we have already lost.

We plan to work on several projects this year including an educational video on Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia that will be free to families and hospitals. We also just published a book of stories of these children and are in the midst of planning many events, including our CHERUBS Angel Ball in Durham in October and our 2009 International CDH Conference in San Antonio in July.

We are always so busy at CHERUBS and try so hard to bring more attention to this birth defect. Having Patsy on board is such a Godsend. I look forward to working with her to help raise more awareness so that we can bring more research to CDH and more information and support to these families”.

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About CHERUBS

CHERUBS is an international charity located in North Carolina founded in 1995. CHERUBS serves families of children and adults born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). As of January 2009, CHERUBS has over 2600 members in all 50 states and 38 countries. Board Members include the founding father of in-utero surgery, genetic counselors, epidemiologists, pediatric surgeons and parents of children born with CDH. CHERUBS is a volunteer-run organization and a United States Internal Revenue Service recognized 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization.

About Patsy Pease

Patsy Pease is best known for playing the character of Kimberly Brady Donovan on “Days of Our Lives” from 1990 to 2008. She is one half of the soap’s supercouple of Kim and Shane (played by Charles Shaunnessy). She has also appeared in “Two Shades of Blue” (1999), “Total Reality” (1997), “The Young and the Restless” (1996), “Hardball” (1994), “Silk Stalkings” (1992), “Space Raisers” (1983), “Remington Steele” (1983), “Trapper John, M.D.” (1983), “Search for Tomorrow” (1979-1982). Ms. Pease has won several Soap Opera Digest Awards. She is a strong advocate for raising awareness of child abuse, giving lectures and speeches on her own personal experiences. She has semi-retired to raise her children and to continue her charity work.


*Special thanks to Rachel Wells at 919 Marketing for writing much of this press release.

Patsy and Russ