Transverse Myelitis Association
Volume 5 Issue 1
December 2002
Page 48
Volume 5 Issue 1
December 2002
Page 48
| Hoopathon for the
TMA and TM Research Adam New Our mom has Transverse Myelitis. She first got sick in 1997. She is a nurse and was the boss on an OB floor. When she got TM, she had some other problems that the doctors found at the same time. She had an AVM in her brain and had brain surgery in February 2000. She has an aneurysm and seizures, too. Right now the big problem is the TM. We wanted to help her get better. There are three kids in the family. Laura is our sister. She is in college at Emory and Henry. She was home on break. I am Adam and I am 14. William is 16. The three of us tried to think of a way to raise money for research to find a cure for TM. We know about it because of our mom. Her side is numb. She uses a cane to walk. She cannot tell when things are hot or cold. Her feet feel like they are burning on fire. Her hands and fingers are like pins and needles and always hurt. She is upset a lot, too. We decided that we needed to do something that we were good at so we would get a lot of money. We talked about it and when Laura came home on break that’s when we decided to shoot basketball free throws. We collected pledges and donations from our families, friends and neighbors. Most people gave 10 cents or 25 cents for each made free throw, but some people gave a donation. A reporter from the local newspaper came to do an interview about the fundraiser. We were happy because she mentioned TM, the symptoms, and that it needs to get research for a cure. Mom had to talk to Mr. Oliver, the principal at the high school. He let us use the gym. Laura set rules and she and mom made sure we didn’t cheat. My best friend, Ryan, wanted to help and so did my friend, Joseph. They both like my mom a lot. Laura and mom joked that we needed some estrogen to shoot basketball. My mom’s friend, Lisa, let her daughter miss school to come shoot hoops with us. She said that this was an important life lesson that could not be learned at school. The day of the shootout, we practiced for awhile before the clock started. William and I are both good at basketball and we were ready for it. When we were shooting, a lady came into the gym. She had the newspaper article with her. She said that she was on her break and wanted to bring us a donation. It was cool. After four hours of shooting basketballs, our arms hurt badly. Amanda could only shoot for three hours. I made 237 shots, William made 348, Ryan made 167, Joseph made 234, and Amanda made 101. We made $1,682.92 for TM research and we had fun. Adam New, age 14 William New, age 16 Laura New, age 20 Amanda Yuhase, age 13 Ryan Rodriquez, age 13 Joseph Moore, age 13
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