This page is designed to accept pledges to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in honor of Maxwell Richardson so the hospital can continue to change the lives of children in need of health care and their families.

This is our ninth year of participation in Al's Run & Walk for Children's Hospital and we are proud of the fact that we have already raised over $100,000 for the hospital.  For those unfamiliar with Max's story the following is a brief summary. 

In March 2003 Max contracted a rare case of pnuemonia.  He became septic (an infection in the blood) and during the course of treatment the doctors ran into complications as Max's blood wasn't clotting and they couldn't figure out why.  A team of critical care doctors worked for several hours attempting to stabilize.  The doctors estimated that Max's likelihood of surviving was less than 5%. Miraculously, the doctors determined Max had a rare strain ("T Antigen") of the pneumonia and were able to stabilize him. At this point the doctors figured Max had a 50 percent chance of survival.  After a long struggle that included 78 days in the hospital Max was able to go home.  

Unfortunately, Max suffered the following damage due to various complications: - Max had the tips of 9 fingers and 6 toes amputated; - Max suffered bleeding on his brain that resulted in brain damage similar to a stroke; -After he was discharged from the hospital Max lost his appetite and wasn't eating an adequate amount of solid foods and as a result he was fed two times daily via a feeding tube inserted into his stomach; - he received several months of rehabilitation learning how to regain the ability to walk, talk, and eat; - Max's kidneys were damaged and essentially "shut down" and never recovered.  He received peritoneal dialysis at home for 10 hours each night until he received a "new kidney" from Jane Piering (his father’s cousin) via transplant on July 13, 2004.  

It has  been 7 years since his transplant and nearly 8 1/2 years since he first became ill.  Max is doing great and his labs continue to show no signs of rejection.  He is having a busy summer attending drum lessons, swimming, playing golf and strength training.  Max will be in fifth grade and has done exceptionally well in school which is a milestone in and of itself.

There is no question that without Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Max would not be with us today.  In addition, the extent of Max's permanent damage would have been far worse had he not been been treated by some of the finest doctors in the country.  The hospital has the finest doctors and nurses, know the latest techniques, and have the finest equipment in the country.  While Max will need continuous medical attention for the remainder of his life we feel completely confident knowing Children's Hospital and the Transplant team will be there with us every step of the way.

Thank you for visiting our Personal Fundraising Page. 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. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!