Join families from across the region on Sunday, September 24 for a day of fun in support of Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. The Go the Distance Walk and Family Fun Day starts with registration at 9 a.m. followed by the walk at 10 a.m. on the campus of the Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, NY. Free activities including face painting, crafts, carnival games, music, character appearances, food and more will continue until 1 p.m. So don’t miss out on all the fun, and a chance to support THE children’s hospital in the Hudson Valley. To learn more about fundraising for the hospital visit GIVE.WMCHEALTHGTD2023.
Three former pediatric patients at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), will lead the walk.
The children, who have all undergone successful treatment at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, will serve as hospital ambassadors and represent the thousands of seriously ill and injured children in the Hudson Valley and Fairfield, Conn. served annually by the hospital’s advanced pediatric services.
This year’s ambassadors were officially named in June at the New York Boulders game. The children, Chase, Camryn and Jack, threw out the ball at the minor league baseball team’s Clover Stadium in Pomona, NY. The children were also presented with official sashes and medals by Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Northern Region, Elissa Chessari.
This year’s ambassadors are:
Camryn – Sickle Cell Warrior – Fishkill
Ten-year-old Camryn of Fishkill was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease three weeks after birth. She has been a subject in one of our many groundbreaking clinical trials at the hospital and after receiving a stem cell transplant from her older sister, Camryn is doing great with little to no signs of the Sickle Cell Disease that troubled her. She is one of 8 children chosen from all over the United States to represent Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals as an ambassador for 2023. She is excited to be an ambassador supporting the hospital and the Go the Distance Walk and Family Fun Day!
Chase – Infectious Disease and Neurosurgery Warrior – Beacon
Nine-year-old Chase of Beacon was admitted to the hospital in June of 2022 with a severe sinus infection. Within three days, the infection had traveled to his brain, and he required emergency surgery to remove it. Chase spent the next 30 days recovering at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. Today, Chase is thriving, and he has been an amazing ambassador for the hospital and has taken part in campaigns for hospital partners Costco, Shop Rite, Spirit Halloween, Dunkin’ and Walmart. We are happy to announce that Chase is the 2023 Children’s Miracle Network Child Ambassador for Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. Chase is eager to support the hospital as a Go the Distance Walk and Family Fun Day ambassador.
Jack – Brain Surgery Warrior – Pearl River
15-year-old Jack of Pearl River was playing basketball with his brother two years ago when he suddenly developed a headache and collapsed. An ambulance rushed him to Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, where it was discovered that he had an abnormal group of blood vessels in his brain that had ruptured. He needed multiple, emergency surgeries and rehabilitation, but today Jack is doing great! He is an honor roll student, an avid sportsman and member of the cross county, winter track and golf teams.
For more information about the Go the Distance Walk and Family Fun Day, visit https://wmchealthgiving.org/
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region’s only acute care children’s hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.