This note was received from the parents of Matthew French, an 11 year old DI team member whose life was saved by the creative talents of 2004 Risorgimento Award winner Kristen Jerger. Read on for Matthew’s story …
My son Matthew Fenrich was diagnosed with a brain tumor 4 years ago at the age of 7. We went through an unbelievable roller coaster as doctors told us he had less than six months to live. We ended up at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Tex., where a doctor told us about this “new technology” for removing brain tumors. They thought it was probably Matthew’s only hope.
In 2004, we brought Matthew to Global Finals and attended the Opening Ceremonies. I just about fell out of my chair when Ms. Jerger received the Risorgimento award and they told about one of the very types of devices that saved my son’s life.
Because of the contributions of Kristen and others like her, my son’s team (Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary GuessDImate EL) not only got the thrill of going to Globals, they were awarded the DaVinci Award and placed 8th overall.
As we were leaving the awards ceremony, Matthew leaned over to me and said, “Mom, it was 4 years ago this month that I was learning how to walk again! Look how far I’ve come!”
