Reed is four-year-old from Jesup, Iowa. He was a "normal" developing child until, on November 1, 2014, Reed went down for a nap and when he woke, he struggled to stand and take steps. After no clear answers as to why this was happening, we were referred down to Iowa City to see a neurologist. It was determined that Reed needed an MRI and we were admitted to the hospital. On February 25, 2015, Reed was diagnosed with Leukodystrophy and then Vanishing White Matter. Reed will suffer a great amount due to VWM. VWM is just like it sounds- the white matter in his brain is disappearing and as this happens, Reed loses communication to the part of the body that the part of the brain was communicating

Josephine Rose was born on a Monday at our local hospital in Waterloo. She was our “rainbow baby”- a term used to describe the first living baby after a stillborn or miscarriage. When she was delivered, she made no noise. She entered the world unresponsive and in complete organ failure. She was diagnosed with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy of a Newborn. With the exception of her heart, all her body had either shut down or was in the rapid process of failing. After 15 long minutes, Josie’s body started to respond. However, her body began to seize uncontrollably, and very intensely. Some of the initial medication were not successful in relieving the seizing. The NICU staff knew that Josie nee

Because I said I would. These five words are pretty simple, but when you put them together, they are very powerful. I’ve watched Alex Sheen’s Ted Talk on the social movement and nonprofit that he has created based on the act of keeping your promises many times-- and I like to make other people watch it too. (Just ask the Executive Board, Assistant Directors, Morale Captains, and All-Committee Members of UNI Dance Marathon 2018!) In his talk, Alex emphasizes the importance of doing what you say you’re going to do, which seems so simple, right? Sometimes it’s not as easy as that and you need someone or something to hold you accountable, and the organization because i said i would does just tha

1. Abbey Koerperich: I love UNI Dance Marathon because it brings people together. We are all here for one common goal; to fight For The Kids. It gives us a reason to help inspire others through our leadership and love for the kiddos. We do it by remembering those who are dancing in our hearts, raising money for the University of Iowa's Stead Family Children's Hospital, and dedicating a day to thank everyone involved in UNI DM by holding a Big Event in March. 2. Alexis Scharfenkamp: Why do I love UNI Dance Marathon? Because it has totally and completely changed my life for the better. It has allowed me to see how many children are robbed of their childhoods and how hard they have to fight jus

Hello everyone, my name is Abigail See I’m 8 years old, I live in Jesup Iowa with my wonderful family and pets. I’d like to tell you about my long journey I started when my mommy decided to bring me into the world by slipping on the ice at our home. After my mommy slipped on the ice her tummy started to hurt her and my daddy and grandma took her to Allen hospital to get checked out. As soon as we got there they rushed to my mommy’s aid. The doctors and nurses made the choice to do an emergency C-section. I was born at 1lb 9oz and I was 13 inches long. My mommy didn’t get to see me for 3 days because as soon as they got me out they sent me to Iowa City Children’s Hospital. They were the best

Aubrey was born October 10, 2011 a healthy, beautiful little girl. She was a feisty gal but always with a sunny disposition. She did normal baby things and led a normal girl life until two weeks prior to her second birthday when she started having high fevers that she just couldn’t shake. After several trips to the doctor and urgent care, one day at daycare she fell and refused to put any weight on her left leg. Fearing that she broke a bone, we took her to the hospital determined to find out what was plaguing our little girl. X-rays found no tears or breaks in her leg, and Tylenol wasn’t doing the trick anymore. We decided we weren’t leaving until we had an answer and a solution. The urg