final senior project
TRANSCRIPT
Senior Project !
• By Courtney Wintzell
Meet Andrew Parmer
He may seem like a normal
joyful baby but this child
has a serious condition for
the rest of his life.
Andrew Parmer
Born: April 22, 2011
• I'm Courtney Wintzell. For my senior
project, I helped plan a fundraiser for a
little boy who has Central Core Disease,
which is a form of Muscular Dystrophy.
• I chose this project because I wanted to do
in a way I could help people and I thought
this was a good way to help
The Story of Andrew• Andrew was born at 32 weeks on April 22, 2011 (Good Friday).
• Andrew’s mom had a condition called vasa previa. This is a rare
condition, and if not caught in time, has a 100% mortality rate for the
baby and 80% for the mother. Luckily, they caught it in time, and
Andrew’s delivery was successful. Two weeks following his birth,
Andrew stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Northside
Hospital Forsyth. At the time, Andrew’s family was told that he only
had premature lungs and low protein.
• At the end of those two weeks, Andrew did not make any progress,
and his doctors were unsure of how to proceed. Therefore, they
ordered that he be transferred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at
Scottish Rite. It was there, after many tests and procedures, that the
diagnosis of Central Core Disease was finally given. During this time,
Andrew was given a tracheostomy to assist with breathing and a
gastrostomy tube (G-tube) to assist with feedings.
• After six long months, Andrew was finally able to go home on October
19th!
• He brought with him a plethora of medical equipment and three home
nurses who alternated 12-hour shifts.
• My research paper was on central core disease which is the disease that
Andrew has.
• Central Core Disease is a type of Muscular Dystrophy that affects the
muscles and the internal organs, specifically the tone and contraction of the
skeletal muscles. Typically, Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive disease,
which means it gets worse over time. Central Core Disease, however, is
different in that it is slow or shows no progression at all.
• This disease affects the ability to be mobile. Some of the symptoms are
poor muscle tone and weakness, skeletal deformities, and malignant
hyperthermia (a dangerous reaction to anesthesia).
Research Paper
Project facilitator
• My project facilitator’s name is Stephanie Frady. She is a very good friend
of the Parmer’s. I chose her because I knew that she would be the best to
work with because she knew the family.
Little Andrew!
What I did to Help?
• Throughout this entire process, his parents, Jeff and Amy, and big sister,
Hailey, have remained strong in their Faith and have put the life of their
child in the hands of God.
• Their story inspired me, and I started thinking that there must be some way
I can help them, which is where the idea for my senior project came about.
One of the major items sold was a Harley
Davidson motorcycle, which was donated by Zac
Brown and his non-profit organization, Camp
Southern Ground – it sold for $14,200!
Andrews BenefitOn March 3, 2012, we held a fundraiser at Hopewell Baptist Church, which we titled,
Andrew’s Warriors. Many activities and events were held throughout the day and
consisted of the following:
• BBQ plates for 7$
• Live cake auctions
• Silent auctions on various items
• Sold t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, and beach balls.
• Tshirts were $15
• Magnets and Beach Balls were $3
A few pictures from the big
day…
T-shirt/Accessories Booth
The man who bought the Harley
drove down from Minnesota to pick
it up.
Auction
Tables
Costs
• Shirts were no costs because we ordered
them with order forms
• Beach balls and magnets we got 300 for
$100
Challenges we faced!• Although we created a Facebook page and website to sell t-shirts, we still
had problems with advertisement.
• Finding a location was an issue. Our Homeowner’s Association never got
back to us about having the benefit at our neighborhood pool.
• It was also difficult to find people to help volunteer at the benefit.
What I learned?
• Throughout this entire process, I learned that helping people can go a long way.
When Stephanie Frady came to me about this idea I was blown away. I knew we
could help this family, and I had many ideas. Stephanie and I put our ideas together,
and we made our plan a reality. Even though the benefit is over, we will continue to
help the family by selling t-shirts and accepting donations through the Andrew’s
Warriors website.
• Before all of this came about, I thought I wanted to become a counselor for teens.
However, after this amazing journey, I have decided I want to be a nurse because I
enjoy helping people.
Here are the websites where you can go to help!
• https://www.facebook.com/AndrewsWarriors1
• http://andrewswarriors.bbnow.org
•Thanks Judges! Feel
Free To Ask Any
Questions!