[tri-wings] Copy of the Trisomy Family in the News

Hello!

The link to the story about the Trisomy family in the news has now been 
placed in archives as the story is 7 days old so I cut and pasted the story 
for those that weren't able to read it yesterday and don't want to go 
through the hassle of finding the story in archives....

Stony Point Seals to help ill child
By CATHERINE L. FOLEY
THE JOURNAL NEWS, WESTCHESTER, NY (thejournalnews.com)
(Original publication: February 1, 2005)

STONY POINT - Christine Donohue's prayers were answered when the Stony Point 
Seals called.

The club has chosen Donohue's daughter Mary, 8, who has a rare chromosomal 
abnormality called Trisomy 18, as the beneficiary of their annual Polar 
Plunge fund-raiser on Sunday.

Donohue said she prayed for years. First, she prayed for the chance to bring 
Mary on a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes shrine in France.

In August, the Washingtonville Knights of Columbus invited Mary and one 
parent on their annual pilgrimage for special-needs children.

Donohue said she wanted her whole family to accompany Mary. Her husband, 
Robert, laughed at her. He said there was no way they could afford to bring 
all five children - Ryan, 13, Robbie, 11, Mary, Thomas, 4, and Shannon, 1.

"I said to him, 'I prayed for three years for this trip. Somehow God will 
provide. It will be taken care of,' " Donohue said. "That's when we got the 
call. We really felt it was God answering our prayers."

The money raised by the Stony Point Seals will help pay for Mary's medical 
expenses. Their insurance company recently reduced Mary's coverage and the 
Donohues also want to install a lift in their home so Mary can comfortably 
go between the first and second floor.

"A lot of it is support issues to make life a little easier for her to get 
around and to live like everybody else," Donohue said. With a portion of 
Mary's medical expenses covered by the money raised, the Donohues will be 
able to afford to bring the whole family to France.

John Fox, a founding member of the Stony Point Seals, said the club learned 
about Mary by word-of-mouth. It's the fifth year the club has used the 
plunge into the Hudson River's icy waters on Super Bowl Sunday to raise 
money for special-needs children.

"We find a needy family that could use the help with their child," Fox said. 
"The children are an inspiration. You look at them, see what they've gone 
through and the smile they can keep on their face."

The Seals raised $50,000 last year for Lauren Leeber, a bacterial meningitis 
survivor, and Mathew Lupo, who was paralyzed by a swimming accident.

The Seals invite all adults brave enough to take the quick plunge at Grassy 
Point seawall wearing nothing more than a swimsuit, Fox said.

"You don't think about it. You just do it," he said. "You feel like you're a 
can of soda in a cooler. You're floating around with the ice."

The club accepts donations and sells raffle tickets, T-shirts and hats to 
raise money. The 300 raffle tickets available are $100 each, with a $10,000 
prize for the winning ticket. Proceeds beyond $10,000 will go to the 
Donohues, Fox said.

Donohue said the pilgrimage would rejuvenate her family spiritually. "We're 
going for the spiritual healing to be able to face what we need to face and 
be able to deal with all the challenges that Mary's life brings," she said. 
"We've always turned to faith to deal with the adversities to come, to have 
the strength to persevere."

Mary was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 before her birth, Donohue said. People 
with the disease have an extra 18th chromosome in every cell of the body. 
Mary cannot speak or walk without assistance, and is fed through a 
gastrostomy tube. She has multivalvular heart disease, and can see using 
only one eye at a time because her muscles are too weak for both eyes to 
function at once.

Donohue said Mary has exceeded medical expectations. "Mary proved the 
doctors wrong. She is almost 9 years old and one of the happiest children I 
know. She smiles, laughs appropriately and plays with toys. Mary has touched 
more people during her life than most people will ever touch in an entire 
lifetime." 
                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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