MEET OUR BOARD - Dawn Torrence Williamson, President & Founder

Dawn Torrence Williamson Dawn is the mom of Shane Torrence (1/28/93-9/11/99). Shane was born with left-sided CDH, ASD, hypospadius, pulmonary sequestration, descended testes, and multiple other birth defects. Shane spent his first 10 months in the PICU at Duke University Medical Center and many more hospitalizations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He had a trach for 3 years while he was on a ventilator for 2 years and oxygen for 2 and a half years. He also had a Mic-Key feeding tube, hearing aids, oral aversions, developmental delays and textile aversions. He suffered multiple complications including 6 CDH repairs, pulmonary hypertension, blindness for a year, hearing impairment, Cerebral Palsy, multiple blood infections and pneumonia and was lost to a very rare case of gastropleural fistula at age 6 and a half. Dawn is also the founder and President of CHERUBS.  Having volunteered for 16 years until she quit her job as a web designer and graphic artist to become CHERUBS first full-time employee in 2011.  Dawn works out of CHERUBS international headquarters in Wake Forest, North Carolina with 3 office volunteers; Shanon, Holly and Vicki. She is married to Craig, and they have 2 boys; 17-yr-old twins Braden and Garret. Going back to school to learn more about how to help our charity, she has a 4.0 in college while taking such courses as Biology, Anatomy, Medical Terminology, Business, Web Development, Public Speaking and more. She also is very active in her local community, belonging to several business and civic organizations as well as her local church.

MEET OUR BOARD - Kelly Green-Krist, CPA - Treasurer

Kelly Green-Krist, CPA - Treasurer A graduate from Saint John’s University with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Taxation, Kelly is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant with over 20 years of business experience, in roles such as Corporate Controller, Accounting Manager and Senior Accountant. She has broad experience in financial and SEC reporting, general accounting, tax compliance and planning, budgeting and forecasting, treasury management, planning and analysis, audit functions and process improvement in industries such as healthcare, software, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and logistics. She is a member of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.   Kelly is married and has 2 boys, ages 14 and 5. She enjoys cooking, reading, action movies and has recently started gardening.

Portland, OR Parade of Cherubs on April 19th

 Join us for April 19th, the International Day of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness!!!! 


Portland, Oregon Parade Parade of Cherubs on April 19th for CDH Awareness

•     On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/557033724326265/
•     Register on Eventbrite - http://cdhawarenessday-2013portland.eventbrite.com/
•     Set up your own Team Member page on Firstgiving - https://www.firstgiving.com/10125/cdhawarenessday2013
•     50% of money raised will be donated to Legacy Emanuel Hospital for CDH Research
•     Contact Shelly or Andrea  with any questions about this event at oregon@cherubs-cdh.org
•  

 

MEET OUR VOLUNTEERS - Melissa Larrison

Melissa Larrison My name is Melissa Larrison. I am a mom to 3 beautiful children. Jada who is nine, Kaia who is eight, and Hanna Rae Rose who is our CDH angel. I was diagnosed at nineteen weeks and went to OKC to deliver as it was close to family. Hanna’s defect was relatively small and easy to fix. Unfortunately her little body couldn’t get over other complications with her care and she passed away after twenty one days of fighting. I joined Cherubs in October of 2008 and the amount of support I have received is immeasurable. Cherubs has become part of my family and I am forever grateful for them. I now hold a board position on the parent board. I am the Fundraising Coordinator and the Virginia state representative. Please feel free to contact me for any of your Cherubs needs.

Seattle, WA Parade of Cherubs on April 19th

 Join us for April 19th, the International Day of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness!!!! 

Seattle, Wa Parade Parade of Cherubs on April 19th for CDH Awareness

•     On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/245684502229317/
•      Register on Eventbrite - http://cdhawarenessday-2013seattle.eventbrite.com/
•      Set up your own Team Member page on Firstgiving - https://www.firstgiving.com/10125/cdhawarenessday2013
•      50% of money raised will be donated to Seattle Children's Hospital for CDH Research
•     Contact Christina with any questions about this event at washington@cherubs-cdh.org
  

MEET OUR VOLUNTEERS - Marie Marchesseault

Marie Marchesseault Marie Marchesseault is the mother of Anna, who was diagnosed with right-sided CDH in-utero after an ultrasound was done and more tests were performed, just to make sure everything was okay.  After the diagnosis, Marie and her husband Bob were given the option to terminate the pregnancy by the hospital, but they chose not to, due to their personal faith.  Anna was born by a scheduled c-section on November 29, 2001 and had a successful diaphragm repair at 5 days.  She went on ECMO for 4 weeks and was in the NICU for a total of two months until she was discharged.  Anna was an unusually happy baby in the NICU due to the family support and wonderful care of the MGH staff.  Although she did not have any other major complications, she was in and out of the hospital about once per year for about 6 years for respiratory related issues.  She was back in the hospital two times in 2012 but is generally an overall healthy child.   Marie’s husband Bob, their son, Benjamin, born in 1998, and their vizsla, Sammi, have been an integral part of managing Anna’s care and well-being.  Marie has a BSEE from Duke University and they are members of First Baptist Church in Reading, MA.  Because of the amazing support of her employer, she was able to take maternity leave when Anna was born and worked part-time for many years.  She currently works full-time in the telecommunications industry and is the CHERUBS co-State Representative of MA.

MEET OUR VOLUNTEERS - Trish Collins

Trish Collins Teresa Collins (Trish), Co-representative, Florida, has been a member of CHERUBS since 2008. Her daughter Rebecca Dawn was born October 7, 2005 diagnosed at birth with left-sided CDH. Rebecca was placed on ECHMO soon after birth and remained on it for 10 days. She then had her hernia repair surgery, 5 days after that on October 25, 2005 she lost her battle and passed away. Teresa now has a son, Ashton Fenway born in 2007. Teresa has an Associates of Science degree in Medical Billing and is an active member of CHERUBS and Thoroughbred Horse Rescue.

S.Res. 85: A resolution designating April 2013 as “National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month”.

On March 20, 2013 Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), along with Co-Sponsor Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced  S.Res. 85: A resolution designating April 2013 as “National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month”.

On March 20, 2013 it was passed.

The United States Senate has officially designated April 2013 as “National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month”.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/sres85

This is an incredible victory for our cause in the battle against CDH and today, we celebrate!   

This resolution not only asks for awareness for an entire month but for research as well.   A press release and full text will be posted soon.

Even as we celebrate, the war is not yet over.  We are now rallying the troops to introduce and pass a resolution in the United States House of Representatives as well for CDH Awareness and also for Research.  

We also continue to gather proclamations from cities and states for more local awareness.  

The Parades of Cherubs across the country will now turn into celebrations also.

The Washington DC Parade of Cherubs has now changed focus from the Senate to the House as we march on Capitol Hill.

We ask our members and supporters to continue to push to raise more CDH Awareness, to join in and celebrate with us on April 19th by marching in a Parade of Cherubs, joining an event or participating in the Virtual Parade of Cherubs on-line.  

http://www.cdhawarenessday.org

This achievement has been many, many years in the making but it could not have been done without the support of our members, other CDH charities, all those who signed the petitions and all those who never gave up.   Our deepest, sincerest gratitude goes out Senator Sessions and his family for without their cherub, Jim Beau, and their amazing support none of this would be possible.

 

Denver, CO Parade of Cherubs on April 19

 Join us for April 19th, the International Day of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness!!!! 

Denver, Colorado Parade Parade of Cherubs on April 19th for CDH Awareness

•     On Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/190447231096098/ 
•     Register on Eventbrite - http://cdhawarenessday-2013denver.eventbrite.com/ 
•     Set up your own Team Member page on Firstgiving - https://www.firstgiving.com/10125/cdhawarenessday2013 
•     50% of money raised will be donated to Denver Children's Hospital for CDH Research
•     Contact Nicolle or Jennifer with any questions about this event at colorado@cherubs-cdh.org

 

 

 

MEET OUR BOARD - Lauren Campbell, Esq - Secretary

Lauren Campbell, Esq - Secretary Lauren grew up in Greensboro and moved to the Raleigh area when she was accepted as a member of the inaugural class of Campbell Law’s satellite campus in downtown Raleigh. She is proud to be a member of the team at The DiLeone Law Group. Lauren graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2007 with degrees in Business Management and Theatre Performance. In 2009, she enrolled as a student at the Norma Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University. She gained practical experience through working at a firm in Wilmington, North Carolina and alongside the general counsel of a large public corporation. She began working for the DiLeone Law Group the summer prior to her third year of law school after meeting Ralph while he was serving as an adjunct professor in several of her classes at Campbell Law. She completed her law degree from the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University in 2012 and passed the North Carolina State Bar Examination in July of 2012. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, supporting the arts and running. <>Lauren has a Law Degree from Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Lauren is a member of the North Carolina State Bar Association. She also serves on the recruitment task force for the Young Professionals Network through the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors for CHERUBS - the Association of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research, Awareness and Support, a nonprofit organization which raises awareness, promotes research, and provides support for children and families of children who are born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. Lauren concentrates her practice in the areas of business and corporate law, employment law, incorporations, transactions, contracts, and the preparation of other legal documents.