Buchanan family raising funds, awareness for daughter’s birth defect
Published 9:12 am Wednesday, April 15, 2015
BUCHANAN — A Buchanan family is starting an event to raise money for a foundation devoted to fighting a birth defect their daughter was born with almost five years ago.
Bethany Cowan said her daughter, Cecelia, was diagnosed with gastroschisis, a condition where a baby’s intestines and possibly other organs develop outside the body through a hole in the abdominal wall. It affects one in every 2,229 babies in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Photo by Simply Gorgeous Photography
The Cowan family, of Buchanan, is starting a 5K run/walk May 30 in Buchanan to raise money for the Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation. Cecelia Cowan, bottom left, was born with gastroschisis, a condition where a baby’s intestines and possibly other organs develop outside the body. She turns 5 this week.
“Researchers currently don’t know the cause of the defect and it gets little attention,” Bethany said. “Avery’s Angels is the only non-profit devoted to this condition in the U.S. When Cecelia was born in April of 2010 the doctors at Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo told us she was the 10th case treated at Bronson in that year alone. We’re hoping to shed some light on the condition and encourage people to give to a truly amazing organization.”
Cecelia had surgery to correct the problem and spent 20 days in the hospital. Today, she is completely healthy.
“We know how blessed we are, and know it’s time to give back. Thinking about our days in the NICU is still really hard, and I know lots of people face a tougher time than we did,” Bethany said. “I still get emotional when I talk about it and it’s been almost five years.”
In order to give back, the Cowans have started the inaugural Superhero Run for Belly Buttons, a 5K run/walk that will take place May 30 on the McCoy Creek Trail in Buchanan.
All of the proceeds from the event will benefit Avery’s Angels Gastroschisis Foundation.
“We count our blessings with Cecelia and we know it’s time to give back, hence the reason the Superhero Run for Belly Buttons was born. Babies born with this condition are called Belly Button Superheros because they all lose their belly buttons in the process of surgical repair, and they fight to survive and thrive in a way most adults could never handle,” Bethany said. “We’d like people to channel their inner superhero for the run and dress the part, this is our first year and we’re hoping to raise enough money to send a nice check to the organization.”
Those wanting to register for or sponsor the event can do so in several ways. Forms can be found on the Facebook page “Superhero Run for Belly Buttons.” Online registration is also available at active.com by searching “Superhero Run for Belly Buttons” in Buchanan.
For more information, send an email to bellybuttonrun@gmail.com.
