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When a pipe broke and Lindsey Taylor’s basement flooded, she panicked. Lindsey’s daughter, Melody, suffers from cystic fibrosis, a genetic, terminal disease that primarily effects the lungs. Lindsey worried about the possibility of mold growing in the house and needed to gut the room and dry it out. “We were able to fix the broken pipe (which was not covered by insurance) Lindsey explained. “We began to scramble, wondering how we would be able to afford our insurance deductible.” This is the plight of many families with children battling life-threatening illnesses. Because of tremendous medical costs and related expenses, they are often unable to pay for all that their child requires, struggling with basic daily living expenses.
“To hear that they were willing to help us cover the entire deductible was such a blessing and a huge weight off of our shoulders. Then, that sweet woman on the other end of the phone said that they wanted to help us by sending a payment to our credit card. This had me floored. I literally had to pull over because I could not see through my tears. I cannot express the gratitude, love, relief, and shock we feel because of this humbling gift Ellie’s Army has given to my family. They are answering prayers they had NO CLUE we were praying for.”
I know first-hand how difficult it is to have a child battling a critical illness. The idea that these families are faced with such tremendous financial stress is unfathomable, says Stacey Levy, Founder of Ellie’s Army Foundation. Stacey and Brian Levy’s daughter, Ellie, battled cystic fibrosis until she passed away at the age of 23. Ellie was a fighter from the start. She loved life and lived it fully. Ellie was bright, had an amazing sense of humor and cared enormously for others. She felt particularly interested in helping other children and young adults battling life-threatening illnesses. She was passionate about making sure that all children have what they need to survive.
Ellie’s Army Foundation will be hosting their 3rd Annual Watermill Trading Dirty Socks 5k Run and Walkathon. Why Dirty Socks? At the end of her life, Ellie had two, back-to-back, double lung transplants. She was told that if she wanted to get well, she needed to walk. Her transplant surgeon told her that he wanted to see “dirty socks” so that she could prove that she had been walking. Despite the pain, Ellie walked and walked.
The event will be held both virtually and in person. Aventura Library is where it all begins on April 25th, 2021. Registration opens at 7am and the attendees leave to run or walk around the Aventura circle at 8:00 and 8:15am. We decided to offer participation virtually for those that are not comfortable attending an in-person event. There are teams being set up, which people can join or create, including “Duncan & Ellie’s Dirty Socks crew” set up by Miami Heat player Duncan Robinson. Robinson serves as an ambassador to Ellie’s Army Foundation. He feels strongly about the Mission of the cause and does whatever he can to raise funds and awareness.
For more information contact Stacey Levy at www.elliesarmy.org or (305) 756-0068. Check out their website at www.elliesarmy.org or register to participate at www.charityfootprints.com/dirtysocks
