Drive For Miracles Radiothon

[shaunguth]

The annual Drive For Miracles Radiothon, sponsored by WPBG 93.3 The Drive, is taking place today and tomorrow, 6am-6pm and Saturday, 9am-2pm in the main lobby of the Children's Hospital.

ALL money raised goes directly to the Children's Hospital of Illinois right here in Peoria and you can donate directly to a specific unit or even for a specific piece of equipment. Please consider giving whatever you can afford. There's even an option for monthly donations. $5 a month = $60 donation! Every little bit helps!

I'll be doing an interview sometime during the noon hour tomorrow and I'll be answering phones from noon-2pm this Saturday.

http://www.933thedrive.com/

http://choi.osfhealthcarefoundation.org/page.aspx?pid=857&erid=7134&trid=1091ba03-8d9d-4e11-8d51-eb765118028a

Thanks so much!

[Da Coach]

This is one of the most worthy charities centered right here in the Peoria area. The people who help out are all volunteers, and every penny goes to the care of sick kids at the Children's Hospital of Illinois. I hope anyone who can afford to help out a little will donate to this cause. Thanks.

[shaunguth]

Thanks DC for keeping this at the top for a few days.

I listened to the program all afternoon.....some heartbreaking and heartwarming stories and a couple stories that really hit home!

For those that aren't aware, my son Jonathan was born last January 14 and was only 13 1/2 ounces at birth. He spent exactly 5 months in the Neonatal ICU with a number of complications. After being home for a few weeks, he started having more problems so we took him to the hospital only to find out he also has a very rare heart condition in which the prognosis is not very good. OSF Children's Hospital spoke with Boston Children's (the best in the country) about the best course of action since Boston had been doing extensive research studies on this particular condition. Jonathan had open-heart surgery on July 30 and has been doing better than expected. He was able to come home from the Congenital Heart Center in the Pediatrics ICU on October 18 and continues to defy the odds along each step of the way. We owe the entire staff at the OSF NICU and PICU a lifetime of gratitude for giving him the life that almost wasn't.

I cannot possibly say enough good things about the Children's Hospital of Illinois. They have changed our lives forever and have given us something we thought we would never have! In fact, after going through this past year and spending so much time at the Children's Hospital, I'm embarrassed that I didn't have a clue what went on behind the walls of that particular building prior to our experience there. There truly are miracles taking place every single day in that building! I will continue to donate my time and money to this cause and thank them for the honor of doing so.

[electricmayhem]

I've been pulling for you the whole way, Shaun -- I also have a son named Jonathan and he also spent some time in the NICU when he was born - nothing compared to your experience!

Kudos to you for acting on your appreciation! Best of luck!

[Braves4Life]

Good luck shaun! As a parent I can't even begin to imagine what you and your family have gone through and will continue to go through. I wish you and your family the best and applaud what you and the other volunteers are doing.

[Gary the Gargoyle]

As has been stated, every last penny raised by this event stays here in Peoria. That isn't intended to be a shot at any other charitable organization, just clarification that none of the revenues go to a national level. All proceeds stay in this community.

[shaunguth]

Sorry to repeat this from the past telethon thread, but for those unfamiliar with Jonathan's case, here is the first part of his story.

http://www.helpmakemiracles.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=117329

[shaunguth]

Answering phones for the next 2 hours here at the Children's Hospital of Illinois.
Stop in or give us a call at 309-624-4483.
Every little bit helps!

[shaunguth]

309-624-4485 directly to my phone.

[shaunguth]

The Drive For Miracles Radiothon was a huge success...raising $237,456 over the last 3 days!!!

[Gary the Gargoyle]

Fantastic year for the Radio-thon. Contributions were up somewhere in the neighborhood of $90,000. Way to go Central Illinois!!!