Ruby Shumway (left) and Shawna Buness, with their kids Owen and Jaxon, at the first joint Wrangell/Petersburg Heart Walk, held Sunday in downtown Wrangell.
Paul and Jaci Maddox, and children Finley and Liam, live in Durango, Colorado, though Jaci is originally from Wrangell, and Liam, 7, (right), was one of the "heart warriors" recognized at Sunday's Heart Walk.
Dozens of people from Wrangell and Petersburg came together at the downtown pavilion Sunday morning for the first Heart Walk of their communities, organized as a fundraiser for the Children's Heart Foundation and as a way for the communities to show support for three families: The Buness, Shumway and Maddox families.
As of Monday morning, the Heart Walk has raised $8,797, with donations still coming in online.
Jaxon Buness, 17 months old, is the child of Wrangell's Shawna and Jordan Buness. Owen Shumway, 9 months, and his parents Ruby and Tim, are from Petersburg. Liam Maddox, 7 years old, lives in Colorado but his mother Jaci is originally from Wrangell.
"We're just excited to be part of the community that support heart warriors like ours," said Paul Maddox, Liam's father. "He (Liam) is seven years post-transplant. He had his heart transplant after being here, actually. We flew down to Seattle and now he's battling well."
All three of these children are "heart warriors" who were born with congenital heart defects. The Heart Walk was organized by Shawna and Ruby, who wanted to support the Children's Heart Foundation and bring together Wrangell and Petersburg for a good cause.
"Ruby and I met through our sons," Shawna said. "We found out they both had the same heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. It's been quite the bonding experience, as parents, for us. Both of our sons have had their open-heart surgeries: Jaxon's had two, Owen has had one."
Ruby found that the Children's Heart Foundation does a fundraiser walk on July 18, "and so we wanted to be a part of that," Shawna said
Owen was at 23 weeks when Ruby found out about his heart defect and immediately texted Shawna. "I didn't know her personally, just met her on Facebook, and said, 'Hey, this is what's going on.' In true Shawna fashion she said, 'First of all, relax mama. Everything's going to be okay.'"
Tetralogy of Fallot, according to the Mayo Clinic website, is a rare defect that affects the structure of the heart, not allowing blood to carry enough oxygen.
At the walk, Tim Shumway, Owen's father, welcomed everybody and thanked them for coming out.
"We hope that this is kicking off what will become an annual Petersburg/Wrangell children's Heart Walk," he said. "Really what this is, is a continuation of the amazing support that our families have felt for the last 17 months. We've kind of gone through our respective journeys with our amazing heart warrior boys. ... The support has been overwhelming. So many people have been so generous, both emotionally and materially."
In addition to walking, supporters could donate through a silent auction, pay-what-you-will snacks and through online donations. J&W's opened for the walk, donating the proceeds.
Reader Comments(0)