I'm so excited to be participating in the 2023 CHOC Walk in the Park presented by Disneyland® Resort on Sunday, August 20, to raise funds for CHOC. The CHOC Walk is back!

I'd like to share a special story with you all and ask for your support raising funds for CHOC.

Not every child has the greatest start in life. I, for example, couldn't wait to be born and came into the world 3 months earlier than expected, having to survive in an incubator. At only 2 lbs. and 12 oz, I could fit in the palm of my father's hand.

My fight didn't stop after my parents were able to bring me home though! With an underdeveloped lung, I would sit night after night on the living room floor with my Mother, doing breathing treatments with something that looked like a fog machine with a bunch of hoses attached. As I got a bit older, I started taking medicine that admittedly didn't taste bad, but made me really hyper and disliked by childcare staff because I wouldn't settle down for a nap. One caretaker even skipped a dose and tied me to a high chair because they did not want to deal with my literal life-saving side-effects...and crying only made it worse, so...that was my last day at that daycare...

I was also in and out of the hospital every time the holiday season rolled around because I would get sick and have trouble breathing. This went on until I was about 5 years old and put plain and simply, I would not be here if not for my parents, the caring medical staff and advances in technology made possible through medical research, which is something you can help support through CHOC!

Places like CHOC help children and their families get through the hardest times in their lives, so that kids can get back to being kids again.

Please join me in donating to this great cause. Every little bit counts!

If you are unable to donate at this time, please share among your network so that we can come together and make a difference for the children and families of Orange County!

Forever grateful,

Elizabeth