As many of you may know, Brooke had a rough month of December that included two separate PICU stays, one of which being at Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. This fundraiser and event that we are participating in is near and dear to my heart! We will be climbing 80 flights of stairs to the top of the Aon Center with several of my Plante Moran colleagues benefitting Lurie Children's Hospital. My goal is to raise $10 per floor we climb!

On December 2, we took the girls to the doctor for upper respiratory symptoms. The pediatrician took one look at Brooke and sent us straight to the ER. The ER staff skipped triage and registration and took us immediately to a room to get her on oxygen, suction her nose, and begin breathing treatments within 2 minutes of us getting to the ER. They ran several tests and determined that Brooke had Covid. The amount of oxygen she needed to stop her from retracting when breathing was too high of a level for that hospital, and we needed to be transferred to a PICU and were transferred to Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The absolute saddest thing I have ever done in my life is watch someone strap my 3 month old to a gurney, hooked up to all sorts of wires, and then leave the ER with an empty car seat.

Once we got to Lurie Children’s, we began several different forms of treatment for Brooke. She responded well right away. Fortunately, yet unfortunately, we caught everything really early. The fortunate part is we were in the perfect place for a sick child. The unfortunate part was that Covid takes several days to run its course, days 3-5 being the worst. We got there on day 2. The team of doctors, nurses, and respiratory specialists were outstanding. They explained everything that Brooke was experiencing, what would be next, and how treatment decisions were being made. They kept Cody and I so calm so that we could focus on keeping Brooke comfortable. After spending three nights at Lurie Children’s, we were able to take Brooke home!

As a nonprofit hospital, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago depends on donations to provide a healthier future for every child. Your gifts can help fuel life-saving research, comfort kids during challenging procedures and provide access to world-class care for families in need.

I hope you’ll help me reach my goal in support of the patients and families at Lurie Children’s.

Here’s how your donations can make a difference:

$100 is enough help make a child’s hospital stay a more positive experience with activities, supplies and toys.

$250 can provide patients with the support they need to thrive after lengthy hospital stays.

$500 supports clinical trials to help discover new or more effective treatment options.

$1000 means we can train the next generation of specialists.

All donations are tax-deductible and will be acknowledged by Lurie Children’s Foundation.

On behalf of the patients and families of Lurie Children’s, thank you for your support!