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From the White House – New Federal Approach to Hiring
Nearly $100,000 raised in memory of Alyssa Ann Calaway
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Aug 21, 2009
ROOTSTOWN TWP.:
The third-grader at Mogadore Christian Academy, a few months shy of her 9th birthday, died of myocarditis — heart muscle inflammation that is usually caused by a virus — on Sept. 12, 2002.
Her mother, Sarah Calaway, 39, a teacher at Kimpton Middle School in the Stow-Munroe Falls district, said her daughter had flulike symptoms in the days before she died.
Alyssa walked into the emergency room at Akron Children's Hospital and 20 minutes later was dead.
In the years since her death, hundreds of donors and volunteers have raised nearly $100,000 to research the disease and to send children to Camp Carl, the camp operated by her church, The Chapel.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 19, the fifth annual Alyssa's Hike for the Hearts will be held at Goodyear Heights Metro Park on Newton Street in Akron.
''It doesn't go away,'' her mother said of the pain. ''It lives with you forever.''
After learning more about the disease and meeting other families who had lost a loved one to myocarditis, the family decided to begin holding a fundraiser.
The event was called a hike ''for the hearts'' because it raises money to help the heart both physically and spiritually, Alyssa's mother said.
''I felt like I needed to do something to fill the void in her honor,'' she said.
The spiritual portion, she said, addresses her love of God, and the physical deals with myocarditis.
The $100,000 has been split between medical research by Dr. Gerard Boyle, head of cardiology at Cleveland Clinic, and more than 200 Camp Carl scholarships, she said.
''Alyssa always wanted to go to camp, but unfortunately, died before she could,'' said her grandmother, Mary Homsher, 59, of Tallmadge.
''She always wanted to have her friends in heaven, thus the scholarship for Camp Carl, where children can learn life skills and learn about God in a beautiful setting.''
Calaway, who moved from Akron to Rootstown after her daughter's death, described Alyssa as ''a neat little lady who really loved Jesus and God and wanted other people to know about God as well.''
Homsher said myocarditis affects people of all ages.
''One-third of those who have it die, one-third remain on antibiotics for the remainder of their life and one-third become well. It is not known why this happens. Thus, the need for more research.''
About 2,200 people attended Alyssa's funeral and during her calling hours, the little girl's teacher gave her mother a school paper that Alyssa had completed three days before her death.
In cursive, Alyssa wrote her mission statement of faith.
''I believe God is the best of all people. I believe that when I die I will go to heaven.''
She concluded: ''I believe that Jesus died on the cross for us all.''
Her mother said she has faith that she will see her daughter again.
''If I didn't have the Lord in my life, I wouldn't be able to go through this,'' she said. ''I know I'm going to see her again.''
Registration for this year's hike is preferred by Aug. 31, but participants can sign up the day of the event.
For information, call 330-325-9466 or go to http://www.alyssashike.org or e-mailSarah@alyssahike.org.
Jim Carney can be reached at 330-996-3576 or jcarney@thebeaconjournal.com.
ROOTSTOWN TWP.:
Get the full article here.
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