Home Run for Life
Two-year-old Katie Joy Blye was this year’s first participant in the South Bend Cubs Home Run for Life event. With the help of her parents, Jeffrey and Jenni and sister Ada, Katie rounded the bases during the April 17 game as part of the special presentation that celebrates the strength and courage of patients at Memorial Children’s Hospital.
Katie was born at Memorial Hospital in 2013 with spina bifida, a serious birth defect that affects the spine, and hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid in the brain, which if left untreated, can result in serious delays of brain development.
Thanks to a combination of the specialized care at Memorial Children’s Hospital, loving support of her family and her own determination, Katie is beating the odds. The spunky toddler is able to talk and she shows no signs of brain development issues.
Ever since Katie’s birth, the Blye family has been tightly connected to Memorial Children’s Hospital. Jenni routinely took her to the Memorial Newborn Follow-Up Clinic and Memorial Children’s Therapy Center regularly conducts physical therapy with Katie. That’s in addition to the other specialists who are involved with her ongoing care.
“We think of Memorial Children’s Hospital as an extra family,” says Jenni.
It takes a lot of time and work to care for Katie, but Jenni is reminded that she’s more than worth it. “We don’t have to parent a special-needs child, we get to. Because Katie is a special-needs child, we are better parents and we are better people. We’ve become more generous and compassionate because Katie is in our life.”
The next Home Run for Life games:
- Friday, June 5, 7:35 p.m.
- Friday, July 10, 7:35 p.m.
- Saturday, August 22, 7:05 p.m.
- Friday, September 4, 7:35 p.m.
