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Walk n' Roll brings together passionate people committed to raising funds in support of children and families facing special health challenges. Thanks to your generous contribution, our pediatric specialists can partner with families to make our many innovative therapies and medical treatments more personalized and effective...so that ALL children can reach their full potential.

Learn how your gift directly impacts the lives of children like Gabby, Diego and Colbie. Their stories represent the journeys of more than 35,000 children treated at Children's Specialized Hospital each year.


We Walk n' Roll for Gabby

Gabby, a multi-sport athlete, collapsed suddenly at track practice at her high school in Toms River, NJ.  As she ran her laps, she felt her left arm go numb. She went to her coach to describe what was happening and her left leg went numb. She collapsed to the ground. Her mom rushed to the school in time to ride to the hospital with Gabby in the ambulance. That's when she noticed that the left side of Gabby's face was drooping. Uncertain and fearful, they arrived at the hospital to learn that Gabby had experienced an AVM (arteriovenous malformation) rupture. Surgery repaired the rupture but did not give Gabby back her ability to move her left side. She was transferred to Children's Specialized Hospital where she spent five weeks in an intensive therapy program. On discharge day, she walked out of the hospital unassisted...just like her therapists promised she would.


We Walk n' Roll for Diego

Diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation in his mitochondrial DNA, Diego's journey of care with Children's Specialized Hospital started in 2009 after he suffered a stroke at the age of two. Diego lost his ability to walk, talk, swallow, and eyesight.  Hear from Belle, Diego's mother, why her family participates in the Walk n' Roll. 


We Walk n' Roll for Colbie

Born at just 23 weeks, Colbie and her brother, Bennett, were micro-preemies, weighing just over one pound each. Sadly, Bennett passed away just two days after he was born, but Colbie kept fighting.  She spent 153 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. She experienced a bilateral brain bleed and developed hydrocephalus. She needed a shunt and reservoir to drain the fluid from her brain. In the first six months of her life, Colbie had six brain surgeries and eye surgery. The doctors told her parents that they were unsure of what Colbie's quality of life would be. After she finally went home, her parents brought her to outpatient therapy but she didn't seem to be progressing. So they brought Colbie to Children's Specialized Hospital where she received the diagnosis of cerebral palsy.  Since coming to Children's Specialized Hospital, Colbie has made incredible strides. She is gaining independence through therapy and specialized mobility equipment and living her life to her full potential. Her parents are so proud of how far this little fighter has come.

 

 

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