Miss Ellie is 5 months old today. Brandon and I have joked for the past few
months that we should be taking a monthly picture of Ellie with a sign. Almost everyone else we know does something
adorable with their baby each month to post on FB: the t-shirts that have months on them, blocks
spelling out the months, a chalkboard with the baby’s age and likes/dislikes…
sweet things like that. We thought that
we should take mugshots of Ellie with her hospital room number in front of her
for each month. Not funny, really – but
our twisted sense of humor was satisfied.
When Ellie was a month old, she was living in Room 358 at Dayton
Children’s. At two months, she was home
for a few days (whoa, right?). At 3
months, room A6.81 at Cincinnati Children’s; 4 months, room B6.19 (CICU) in Cincinnati
Children’s; and 5 months, room A3.39 in Cincinnati Children’s. Who votes for home at 6 months??
All joking aside, I wanted to take this time and this post
to tell you all how amazed and thankful I am for the love and support we’ve
received from our communities. We cannot
begin to describe how you’ve all melted our hearts again and again. This past weekend (on the 30th),
we were humbled beyond belief (again).
The Anna High School cheerleaders had called me several weeks ago and
asked if they could do a fund raiser for Ellie and get the student body
involved in the cause… all of their efforts culminating at the Anna vs. Ft.
Loramie varsity basketball game on 1/30.
I agreed, of course, and was touched that these girls that I used to
coach wanted to do something for our sweet bug.
I could have never prepared myself for the response that would
follow. The girls sold the Team Ellie
Bug shirts… and selling they did… totaling over 300 shirts. You have to remember that Anna is a very
small community. I graduated with 76
people in my class, so when 300 shirts are sold in a school system, that’s
unbelievable! My niece, Makayla, and her
friends started a bake sale and diligently worked before and after school to
sell baked goods to raise money. I found
out on Friday that the bake sale was announced during the morning and afternoon
announcements broadcast to the entire school.
Village Salon and Spa (in Anna) also joined the cause and donated 10% of
all sales on 1/30 to the Team Ellie Bug fund.
Donations for the Ronald McDonald House were also collected at the game.
We walked into the school and saw so many blue shirts (when
our school colors and green and white).
I was instantly overwhelmed with emotion when I saw all the blue shirts. We took the boys to the concession stand for
snacks… there stood our superintendent in a Team Ellie Bug shirt. I sat in the stands and saw the high school
cheerleaders and all of the basketball players sporting shirts. The boys warmed up in the blue shirts. The coaches had coordinating ties. The athletic director made special
announcements giving the crowd a little background on our journey with Ellie. So many familiar faces were wearing Ellie’s
shirts in support… and so many people (mostly students) who didn’t know me at
all were still standing in unity, supporting our little girl. Talk about being overwhelmed… in the best
possible way you can imagine. Have I
said enough how much I LOVE being from a small town? How much the small town gives me hope for the
rest of the world?? When I first sat
through sports banquets as a coach, I was reminded of how proud I was to come
from a school that still opened and closed their sports banquets in
prayer. When the girls first offered to
promote Ellie’s shirts, I let them know that God is mentioned on the front of
the shirts and there is scripture on the back.
Did that stop order forms from being sent home with every kid in the
school system? I’m proud – VERY PROUD –
to say that order forms were delivered to each child… and over 300 shirts were
purchased. School administrators showed
support… a sign bearing Ellie’s name was posted on the office doors of the
elementary. Kids from kindergarten
through high school showed support and love for our baby girl. The community came together and rallied
around us. I can’t describe this,
really… it’s unthinkably awesome… and I’m still emotional thinking about it
now.
This wasn’t the end of the story, though… it was a great
night for the whole community. The
varsity team pulled out a win in overtime and kept us on the edge of our seats
throughout. At halftime, the Industrial
Arts team always draws a raffle for someone to attempt a 3-point shot for cash. On Friday, that raffle winner was Isaac
Bensman, a freshman at Anna who also has Down syndrome. Isaac stood on the 3-point line and swooshed
that ball right through the net.
Everyone in the stands cheered wildly for him. What a perfect night to show everyone what
can happen when a community comes together to support their own. Isaac is a kid I’ve casually known for years
and he’s instantly someone I thought of when we first got our Down syndrome
diagnosis in April 2014. I knew he was in
a typical classroom with my nephews… I knew he was well rounded and loved by
the entire community… I knew that he has friends and a great family… he was one
of those kids I thought of and said to myself, “Ellie’s going to be okay”. So I stood and cheered for Isaac as tears
welled up in my eyes. Victory for Anna…
victory for Down syndrome… victory for faith in a small town. Oh yeah, and at the end of the game, the
cheerleaders took the floor for a chant “Did it (clap, clap) for Ellie (clap,
clap)”. Love.
This benefit for Ellie turned out so much bigger than I ever
imagined… so much bigger than the current cheer coach and cheerleaders
imagined, too. Those sweet girls, along
with the amazing middle school girls who sold baked goods, raised over $7,000
for Ellie. I’m completely blown
away! And I know that it’s not just
those girls. For every parent that took
time out of their busy schedules to help make baked goods for their daughter to
sell… for every parent who sent their kiddos to school with a few extra dollars
to buy brownies and puppy chow… for every parent that came out in a blue shirt
or ordered blue shirts for your kids… for every person (parents, students,
teachers alike) who took time out of their crazy schedules to pray for our
family and support us in all the ways you’re supporting us… we’re endlessly
grateful. To all of the ladies (and
Tony) at Village Salon who spent a busy Friday working and raising money for
the fund… we thank you. For anyone who
brought donations for the Ronald McDonald House… we thank you. We just can’t say enough how blessed you’ve
all made us feel – our hearts are overflowing.
Some pictures of #teamelliebug. Go Rockets!!
The high school cheerleaders after the game (with the boys and me)
The girls plus Ronnie Rocket... Kaleb wanted to dance with the rocket all night long
Me with the 3 seniors I used to coach... I used to coach 2 other current cheerleaders, too
The boys basketball team and coaches (and fans) in Ellie Bug blue
This shot is really special to me. First, the team and the cheerleaders are all wearing Team Ellie Bug shirts... but the flag in the left corner... it's the flag that the class of 2002 (yes, I'm that old) bought in memory of Jason Banks, a friend and classmate who passed away shortly after graduation. That flag always strikes a chord in my heart.
My nephew (who is on the team and was sitting with the team and coaches) took this shot of the Ellie Bug shirts across the gym
Players and cheerleaders in blue... also, lots of blue shirts on the kids waiting to give the players fives as they're announced. I also love that Isaac is in this picture!
My grandma Shuster supporting Team Ellie Bug. Grandma fell a little while ago and broke her hip. So grandma and Ellie are both going through lots of PT these days. Nothing can take that sweet smile off her face! I know without a doubt where Ellie gets her willpower to fight!
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