TOUCHDOWN

I received this baseball photo collage of Mason.  It’s the 4 years he played traveling baseball in Rosemount. There are also gaps where we don’t have photos.  He wanted to play baseball those years, but his health got in the way and prevented him from having those opportunities.  

Over the course of the past 16 years, Mason has had more surgeries than I have fingers and toes and has spent months of his life in a hospital bed.  In the first half of 2018, we spent a lot of time at the U of MN Masonic Children’s Hospital.  We were such regular customers on the 5th floor that the nursing staff knew us by our first name and that you had to bring applesauce for Mason to take his pills.  

Growing up, Mason went to his first Colorado Rockies baseball game at 2 months old and first Denver Pioneer Hockey game at 3 months old.  Ever since, he has played any and every sport possible.  Our garage is filled with soccer, basketball, baseball, cross-country, hockey, lacrosse, and golf equipment. Mason loves to be active.

When spending time in a hospital, time moves differently.  Your day and night is constantly being interrupted by vital checks, medicine, visits from doctors, nursing shift changes and the challenges of using the facilities while connected to an IV.  Nothing is easy, nothing is normal, you never get to fully rest, and you don’t get to leave the confines of the hospital.  You are effectively in quarantine.  

And yet, we know that getting out of bed and moving are helpful in recovery.  In March of 2018, just a month before Mason received his new liver, Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone opened its doors at the U of MN Masonic Children’s Hospital.  For us, the End Zone became the place where Mason could still be an athlete by shooting hoops, striking out batters on the sports simulator, and challenging me to a game of Bubble Hockey.  The time spent in the End Zone was time away from being in the hospital.  

Hanging in the End Zone

I’m forever grateful to the entire team of nurses, doctors and health professionals at the U of MN Masonic Children’s Hospital and the kindness of people like Kyle Rudolph who made the End Zone possible. Treating illness while finding ways to allow kids to be kids isn’t easy, but the End Zone is just one of the many ways Mason was able to heal and eventually play baseball again.  

I’m two and half weeks from my 50K run and have raised more than $8,500 towards my $25,000 goal.  Thank you to all who have donated and I hope this story compels those who haven’t to donate $50 to one of the 5 charities I’m supporting.  

Kyle Rudolph’s End Zone: https://crowdfund.umn.edu/campaign/Chris-George-50for50
Feeding America: https://teamfeed.feedingamerica.org/participant/Chris-George-50for50
LifeSource: https://www.life-source.org/giving/make-a-gift/
Capstrong: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=V75CZQQVP44Z6
Make-A-Wish: http://site.wish.org/goto/ChrisGeorge50for50

I’m honored to have already received so much support. Your kindness is going to propel me to the finish line and your gift is going to impact the lives of kids like Mason and so many others who benefit from these charities. 

- Chris