Getty Owl Foundation

Getty Owl Rummage Sale

Come on out to the Getty Owl Rummage Sale!

San Juan High School, 7551 Greenback Lane  Citrus Heights, CA 95610

Saturday, October 23

7am-2pm

Rain or Shine!

Space available: $30 for a spot, contact Patti Strader! Please contact her at pstrader@sanjuan.edu to reserve a booth. All booth fees will benefit baby Getty.

Special Thanks to Patti!

Medical Good News Finally!

From Mark:

Thanks to our wonderful pediatrician, Getty now has two new medical machines:

1. Cough Assist Machine: This has a face-mask with a tube. The machine blows air quickly into her lungs and quickly sucks the air back out again, simulating a cough. Since her natural cough is weak, the machine helps get any gunk out of her lungs just like a normal cough would do. It also helps strengthen her lungs. We’ll use it a couple of times a day.
2. Suction Machine: This is used to suction spit or other gunk (“secretions”) out of Getty’s mouth so she doesn’t accidentally swallow it into her lungs.

Progress!

Here’s to healthy lungs!

What a Wonderful World

From Kate:

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They’re really saying I love you………

Louis Armstrong was onto something when he wrote the words of What a Wonderful World. When I hear the song I think of having the ability to stop everything you are doing to just capture a moment.

This past Saturday, as the GETty Crafty Craft Fair was in full swing, I got a chance to stop and capture a moment. What I saw simply warmed my heart and restored my faith in the human spirit. I witnessed friends of past and present enjoying each others company. I was so happy to spend the day with my parents, Auntie and cousin. I enjoyed watching the sweet reunion of old friends. I observed families embracing a beautiful Saturday together. I heard the sweet sounds of children playing and laughing. I saw people of all walks of life enjoying a gorgeous fall day for a common purpose…….for our little owl, Miss Getty.

My heart was overcome with emotion knowing that Saturday was not just a craft fair, not just a fundraiser, but the purest form of community. Community makes me feel whole, makes me feel like this tough journey Mark and I are on will not be in isolation.

This beautiful day could  not have been possible if it weren’t for the vision, planning, and determination of our dear friend, Stacey. You are simply a special gift to our family. You have given our family peace of mind, which is so valuable right now in our lives. Thank you.

I want to thank everyone for coming out to spend the day with us and to help raise awareness for SMA,  and raise some needed funds for Getty’s medical needs. To all the vendors, family, and friends that made this day so special, we thank you.

Mark and I have been so humbled by the outpouring of love and support. We appreciated every person that gave us a hug, asked how our family was doing, offering support and understanding, and asking for more information about SMA. We were equally humbled by the obvious love that people have for Getty.

Getty is such an enormous share of our entire world. The moment she came to our family she has always seemed to command the attention of all around her. I was overcome with joy when I gave birth to her, but I knew there was something about her. Yes I am her mother, but she was a gift to everyone. It has always felt like it would be inappropriate of me not to share her with the world. I will say this for the rest of my life, Getty is a gift. She is here for a greater purpose and I am aware of that. She is our teacher.

She has never spoken a word in her life, yet she inspires people to do great things and appreciate life. She may never walk a single step, yet she motivates people to mobilize for a cause.

Oh, Miss Getty, we are so honored that you are our daughter, and we are so incredibly joyous that you have solidified our family with peace and love.

Post Show Wrap Up!!

by: Stacey

Well, the show has come to an end and now we all have a chance to catch our breath!  It was such a whirlwind pulling this all together in the time we had and now that I look back…I can’t believe it worked and it’s over!  I wanted to take a second to tell you how it all went!

To start with we had 83 vendors, we had no one flake out!!  Every single vendor showed up and even the one that couldn’t make it came that morning to let me know.  That is unbelievable.  When we arrived at the park the sprinklers were on and had washed away the numbers letting the vendors know where to go.  Would you know this was the only problem that happened all day?!!

The weather was beautiful!  The people kept coming and I think we could have gone on until 4pm!

Now for the big news.  From start to finish, we were able to raise the Storm family over $4,000.00!  I am blown away, I am speechless, I have to constantly stop myself from crying in joy.  When this started I just had a little idea of throwing a craft fair to raise a little money.  I told Kate we would be lucky to have 40 vendors.  I had no idea things would work as they did and I am going to forever look back on this as one of the greatest accomplishments I have ever done and one of the most amazing days of my life.

I couldn’t have done it alone though and have a ton of people to thank, so here is my best Grammy winning speech.  Thank you Kate and Mark for letting me tell your story, I’m so thankful to be a part of something bigger.  Thank you to all of the bloggers who wrote something about Getty on their site, you helped us get the ball rolling and ultimately brought so much awareness to this condition!  Thank you to all the vendors.  Eighty three of you!  Simply amazing group of people.  Thank you to Sondra, Roseanne, Casey and Wendy for coming out in the morning and helping set up.  I know it was a bit hectic and would have been worse without you there.  Thank you to Aunt Colleen, Cousin Tessa and Nola for showing up with your smiles and your bright teal Getty shirts.  You were the three amigos at the head table and it went without a hitch having you there!  Thank you to Morgan for taking pictures, passing around a guest book and just being an overall wonderful helper.  I know there are a million people who I’m forgetting so just know that I love every one of you.

Finally, thank you to Getty.  You my sweet little girl are the reason for all of this.  You have filled my heart with so much love and made me see the bigger picture.  You are forever in my heart and I will love you for the rest of my life.

Hoot! Hoot!

Getty’s SMA segment on Sacramento FOX40 News at 10

From Mark:

Getty, Kate, and I were on our local FOX40 evening news.

Click here to watch the video.

Thanks to Takoa Stathem for setting this up and to Donna Cordova and everyone at FOX40 for helping raise SMA awareness.