2025 Birdies Fore Brighter Futures coming Thursday, October 16!
Will you pledge to help make a difference?
These patients are just a few of the many children who you will be helping with your donations to Birdies Fore Brighter Futures!
Amila
From medical mysteries to UConn fan
Meet Amila, a busy third-grader who loves singing and dancing, arts and crafts, and sports. As a toddler, Amila was an adorable bundle of medical mysteries. In addition to asthma and frequent ear infections, she had difficulty swallowing and was sensitive to lights, noise, textures, and crowds. No one knew why until her parents brought her to Connecticut Children’s, where her laryngeal cleft was found and surgically closed, and her autism finally diagnosed. Discover Amila’s inspiring story of resilience in the face of multiple medical challenges.
Read Amila’s Full Story
Carter
“Just a boy like anyone else”
Meet Carter, an energetic kindergartner and social butterfly who loves all things cars, racing videogames, and playing with his twin brother, Calvin. His parents had no idea they each carried the gene for a rare muscular dystrophy when their twins were born. All they knew was that Carter was not doing as well as his brother. LAMA2-related muscular dystrophy causes muscle weakness and progressive atrophy, which explained Carter’s low muscle tone and difficulties eating. Today, he zooms around in a power chair. Read Carter’s story to learn how he and his family overcome the challenges of a rare disease.
Read Carter’s Full Story
Chloe
Dancing through the day-to-day of a chronic illness
Meet Chloe, a busy sixteen-year-old who shares a rare genetic condition with her brother and sister. They were all born with Gitelman syndrome, in which the kidneys are unable to hold on to potassium and other electrolytes. It can cause severe muscle weakness and dangerous heart arrhythmias. It requires lifelong monitoring and treatment, but that isn’t slowing down Chloe. In addition to dancing six days a week, she mentors younger ballerinas and is active in her school and church. Read more about Chloe’s maturity and daily perseverance as she copes with a rare, chronic illness.