Hello!
My name is Kenneth Hardin and I would like to thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. I will be running the Mercedes 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) in February in honor of Luke Borkent. Luke was born to Rob (my co-worker and friend) and Candi Borkent in Feb of 2007. Luke has 2 brothers (Sam and Gus), they are twins. They are great little boys and are two of the best behaved little boys I have ever seen. Luke was born with CHARGE Syndrome. He has already overcome many hurdles but he has many more obstacles to go. He sure is a tough little guy. He has a head full of beautiful red hair. He is currently attending The Bell Center. I will be raising as much money as possible for The Bell Center in Luke's honor while training for the race. The race will be easy for me compared to what Luke has already had to overcome. Please help me reach my goal. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. You can also mail a check to me (payable to "The Bell Center for Early Intervention") to 6445 Mountain Ridge Road, Trussville, AL 35173. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!

To learn more about CHARGE Syndrome please visit this link below.
http://www.chargesyndrome.org/

Thanks,
Kenneth

Words From Luke!

Hi, my name is Luke and I was born with CHARGE Syndrome.  The doctors didn't know I had CHARGE until I was born, and they quickly discovered that I couldn't breathe very well because my nose has a bone blocking it.  Dr. Hill, my ENT, has tried to open up the blockage 3 times, but I have been too small and the bone is too hard.  I will probably have to have several surgeries to be able to breathe out of my nose.  Since I can't use my nose yet, Dr. Hill gave me a tracheostomy when I was 6 days old.   This means that I breathe through a hole in my throat (pretty cool, huh!) but also no air passes my vocal chords so no-one has ever heard me cry or laugh or coo.  In July, Mommy and Daddy found out that I have a severe to profound hearing loss.  This means that I will need a lot of therapy to be able to communicate with other people.  I am lucky though, because my vision is good and I pay close attention to the world and people around me.  I really like people and love to smile at them.  Mommy says I am a very happy baby and only cry if I am hungry or tired.  My family is so proud of me and how hard I work.  I am trying my best to learn new things, but having CHARGE has made my muscles weaker than other babies, so it is harder for me to hold up my head and do things like roll over and sit up.  I also have problems with balance since my inner ears aren't shaped the same as everyone else's.  It is going to take me longer than other babies to reach milestones, like sitting, crawling and walking, but with help I am going to get there.  My therapists at The Bell Center give me that help.  They make me work really hard, but I learn something new every time I go to school (and Mommy does too).  Mommy and Daddy have been so excited with all the progress that I have made.  I love my therapists; they are so sweet to me and care so much about helping me succeed.  My big brothers, Sam and Gus, think that it is cool that I go to school too, and they like to help me with my homework; there is always a lot to do.  Mommy and Daddy know that I am very lucky to have so many people helping me be the best that I can be.

Mr. Kenneth is my hero for running to raise money for The Bell Center.  My Dad told me how much he has to train and how far he has to run to do the half-marathon.  Mr. Kenneth is spending a lot of time and making a huge effort to show how much he cares about me and other babies like me.  The Bell Center can start helping babies as soon as they are discharged from the hospital, but often there is a waiting list.  That is why raising money for them is so important.  The more money we raise the more kids that can be helped.  Your donation makes such a difference in the lives of all of us kids. 

Please help.

Thank you,
Luke


1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us         Hebrews 12:1