Getty Owl Foundation

I Had No Idea

From Kate:

Getty,

I had no idea who you were going to be when I was pregnant. I had no idea what you looked like or what your giggle was going to sound like. I had no idea how perfect your hands and feet would look like and how they would be ticklish when I touched them.

I had no idea what kind of mommy I would be. Would I give you everything you would need to get through this windy road we call life? Could I give you all the love you needed in order to feel secure, safe, and empowered? Would I have the capability to show you the world and to teach you that beauty is not only in you but all around you?

When you were born Getty I had no parenting skills. I had never done this before. I was grabbing at straws before you came. But once you were here, something happened. When I became your mother, you showed me that all was fine. You eyes told me to that all was going to be okay. Perhaps that was your way in telling me that there was going to be more to our story together.

Since your birth you have taught me to love with passion, to feel the breeze, to know how to physically and emotionally care for someone with every fiber of my body.

Getty this journey that we are on is the most beautiful path I could have ever imagined. Flowers bloom, the sun feels warm and rejuvenating, the air is crisp and all encompassing, and your smile makes all of this possible. Your hand on mine tells me that all will be well. Your gaze gives me the strength to know that all is well and that I should never fret.

Thank you for letting me be your mother. Thank you ever so much.

SF Marathon………Here We Come!!!!!

From Kate:

Well we have great news, we have been chosen again this year as one of the selected charities for the 2015 SF Marathon. Very excited and so thankful to be considered again this year.

Our Team Getty running/walking team is already taking shape. I want to thank many of our last year’s team for coming back for another year. We also have some new Team Getty members aboard and we thank you in advance. We are so excited  for the day to come so we can spread SMA awareness and show San Francisco how awesome our Team Getty really is!!!!!!

Are you interested is joining us? We are looking for half marathon and marathon Team Getty members.

We would love to increase our team from last year. I just checked and the race is already 75% filled.

Here are some details:

SF Marathon & Half Marathon: July 26th

Team Getty Members get our team racing shirt, which are super cool. 🙂

*One BIG aspect of joining us that we have all of the registrations already. No need to buy them online on the SF Marathon website. If you are interested email me at hoot@gettyowl.org and I will give you ALL the details. 🙂

So excited about this year. I was not in the best shape last year to run it, but I did. This year, my goal is to gazelle across the Golden Gate Bridge, not snail slug it. 🙂

Hope to hear from anyone interested. It would be great to have a bigger group this year.

5

From Kate:

It is with great pleasure to announce that our little lady is now 5 years old. Typing that number makes my heart burst with happiness. This past year has been so wonderful to watch Getty continue to grow in all kinds of ways. She has hit some incredible milestones and we are just so grateful that we have our lady by our side as she continues to teach us the gift of life.

-Lost four teeth. Four bottom teeth have proven fruitful from the toothfairy. She is very giving and Getty now has an abundance of Legos.

-Pre-school is going great. She is excited every morning to get ready for school. She takes delight in communicating with her classmates. The kids have taken her under their wing and have been so wonderful including her in their activities and lessons. Her teachers are awesome as well. We have really been fortunate to have some really amazing professionals helping Getty achieve her goals.

-Getty’s village has grown. We are all so thankful to those that have graced Getty’s life. We seem to always have a full house with all kinds of individuals that are caring, giving, and most of all, love Getty as their own. This year in particular seems to have been the most important. As Getty gets older, she has different needs, some that Mark nor I can do for her and we have thankfully found amazing people that seem to fit those needs.

-Getty’s health has remained stable. Sometimes I get nervous writing this in the slim change that I am jinxing this, but Getty has been a beast of a fighter and has been well throughout this past year. We clearly understand how fortunate we are to have a healthy little lady and we are just sooooooooooo thankful. And actually, thankful is an understatement. We know how quickly life can change and to have this past year with no instances has been a huge blessing.

Here are some fun things Getty did this past year:

-Went on a Girls Trip to the beach.

-Went to the Music Circus to see Mary Poppins.

-Visited Apple Hill.

-Went on many lunches with the girls and a few daddy dates.

-Moved to a new home. One with ample space and accessibility for her.

-Continued to practice in her powerchair.

-Communicating effectively on her Tobii eyegaze.

-Growing leaps and bounds.

-Has endured two uneven haircuts by her mother. 🙂

-Enjoyed a visit to the firehouse.

-Long walks around the neighborhood.

-Ran with daddy at the 4th Annual Getty Owl Run/Walk.

-Became the mother of three fish: Jacque, Gill, and Marlin.

-Went to an awesome light show over Christmas break.

-Loving listening to chapter books.

-Wrote her own name with the help of a bit of tape and mom’s hand to brace her wrist.

-Went to see the Nutcracker for the second time.

-Went to a movie theater for the second time to see Cinderella.

-Continues to laugh, love, and live life without abandonment.

-Oh and one other important thing……..Getty has learned how to scowl. Not sure who she got that from. 🙂

This year has been full of beautiful memories. Now on to another great year. We are so excited to see what it will bring.

Happy Birthday to our little lady.

4th Annual Getty Owl Run/Walk to End Spinal Muscular Atrophy – Such a Perfect Day!

SUCH A PERFECT DAY

The people were perfect.

The atmosphere was perfect.

The weather was perfect.

Everything was perfect.

This is our 4th year hosting the Getty Owl Run/Walk, and it just keeps getting better. People from all over the Sacramento, relatives from Mt. Shasta, wonderful friends from the Bay Area, other SMA families, people from far and wide and literally around the world all rallied themselves in the spirit of giving to participate in the event in various ways in support of our cause: Helping families. Fighting SMA.

We were amazed to receive news that the first person to complete the run that day did so in Japan! People were finishing the run before we were even awaken Sacramento.

SMA stands for Spinal Muscular Atrophy… the #1 genetic killer of young children. It’s the #1 disorder people have never heard of. We hope to change that through this event, and all our efforts at Getty Owl Foundation.

Each year, the attendance grows. We love seeing so many of the same faces at the event and love seeing so many more from year to year. It tells us people care. It tells us people want to not only learn about SMA and look into SMA carrier testing, but they also want to give of themselves to see the end of SMA and take part in improving the lives of so many kids, like Getty, who cannot help themselves.

We were blessed by nature on the day of the run, as the skies were clear and the sun brought warmth, which was really nothing compared to the warmth brought by the Sacramento community, the many Getty Owl Runners and Walkers, Reagan’s Warriors, other SMA Warriors, event sponsors, booth vendors, Rich Hannah with Capital Road Race Management, Sacramento Police Department, and so many other who make this event a success and glowing testament to human generosity and kindness.

We give a hearty thank you to all participants and sponsors. We have listed them all before, but we give social thanks again to the Platinum Sponsors here: California Family Fitness, Raley’s, and Dutch Bros.!

A very special shout out goes to Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy for kicking off the event with gusto. Patrick has been a huge supporter of Getty Owl Foundation, and he considers Getty his hero. He generously presented us with a Sacramento County proclamation honoring the event and Getty Owl Foundation. Thank you, Patrick and Sacramento County!

This year’s event was especially memorable in this this is the first year Getty participated in the run (with a little pushing by Mark). They ran the 5k together, and Getty hooted with delight much of the way along the Sacramento River.

KCRA 3 News covered the event, running multiple fantastic stories on the Sacramento evening news, raising SMA awareness on a much broader scale. KCRA has covered the event every year. Thank you, KCRA!

Thanks to all who participated, sponsored, attended, and otherwise made this event such a success. In all, about 1,000 runners and walkers participated and the event generated about $45,000 to raise SMA awareness, help affected families get necessary medical equipment and supplies, and fund research for a cure!

THANK YOU!





Let The Countdown Begin!

From Kate:

Well we are in the homestretch.

We are ready for a beautiful day (no rain in sight).

We are ready for a memorable day.

We are ready to raise SMA awareness.

We are ready to give out awards.

We are ready to entertain and welcome.

We are ready for you.

Our goal is to hit 2,000 runners/walkers. I’ll be honest…..we are not very close to our goal and we are hoping to make one last outreach to ask for your help.

Would you consider bringing your family to an awesome family oriented run this Sunday, February 22nd?

Would you consider virtually participating?

Would you consider walking or running your heart out for those that can’t (yet) walk or run?

Would all reading this consider helping us push for our goal so we can help end SMA?

Click HERE for all the information you will need to sign up and learn more about Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Let’s do this together. Let’s fight this disease one step at a time.

We thank you all in advance for your support and willingness to help Getty Owl Foundation be a part of the solution in the fight against SMA.

Sincerely,

Kate Mathany

Getty’s proud mama 🙂