Welcome to our donation website!!  We assume you are here to support our efforts in raising money for the Smith-Lemli-Opitz/RSH Foundation, and we sincerely appreciate your time and generosity in doing so.

Last year's event was an overwhelming success.  So much so, that we decided to do it once more.  Since we paved the way last year, hopefully planning this year will be easier - we'll see.  After this we may take the '09 summer off.  So, anyways... 

Once again, we are having a Charity Golf Outing and Dinner on Saturday, September 13, 2008 at the Polo Fields Golf & Country Club in Ann Arbor, MI.  The event will honor our little man, Carson Gallagher, and all money raised will be donated to the SLO/RSH Foundation.  

Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome (SLOS) is a rare genetic condition where the body does not produce adequate amounts of cholesterol.  This disorder, which occurs in approximately 1 in 20,000-60,000 births, has greatly affected Carson's health.  The SLO/RSH Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization (so your donation is tax deductible) designed not only to provide a support network for families dealing with SLOS, but also to aid in finding better treatments, or even a cure for SLOS.  The money raised from this outing will go towards funding research studies for SLOS. 

About Carson...  The diagnosis of SLOS was confirmed when he was 10 days old.  He was born with many of the typical problems associated with SLOS, some of which include congenital heart defects, pelvic kidney, dislocated hips, cleft soft palate, jaw/airway issues, hypotonia (very poor muscle tone), and physical/developmental delays.   Carson has a tracheostomy tube to help him breathe and also a feeding tube (g-tube) because he does not eat orally.  He has courageously endured several surgeries and hospitalizations in his short life.  He is continually in physical, occupational, speech, and feeding therapies.

Carson is now 3 years old and our latest news is that he started school in May!  This has been a big change for Carson as well as mommy.  He is attending High Point School full-time (8:30am-2:30pm) and has adjusted very well.  The teachers, aides, and resources at the school are awesome.  Being around other kids and having a regular schedule has been much-needed for a long time.  We already see changes.  As of now, Melissa drops Carson off each morning and picks him up in the early afternoon.  She has weaned herself to leaving the school grounds only recently.  As many of you can relate, it's hard to let go.  Eventually a bus will pick him up at the house each day and transport him to and from school.

Carson still remains very happy and active.  He does not crawl or walk yet - all development is very slow - but he loves to bounce, jump, and scoot around on his back.  He finally rolls over with ease, to the point we need to Carson-proof the house (and keep all corners of the floor swept!).  In the absence of Carson's speech, we have kept up on the sign language.  Carson does many different signs now, like MOMMY, DADDY, BALLOON, BALL, WATER, MORE, and BOOK.  We are working on YES and NO, which would really open up his world, but he's not quite there yet.  We also use pictures and communication switches to help teach him.  Practice, practice, practice.  Oh, and he likes to yell now too, to get our attention.  He's realized that using his voice gives him some power!

If you are at all available on September 13, we'd love to have you come for golf or have dinner.  It would be great to see people.  Again, thank you everyone for your thoughtfulness, generosity, and support.  We hope that with your help, this year's outing will be another huge success!