Supporting research to develop innovative in utero procedures and treatments that will one day eliminate specific complex medical conditions, increase the number of healthy births, and give new hope to parents and families.
Anne Bergenske, First Lady of Shriners International, hopes that one day more children will be born healthy and that the availability of improved treatments and procedures that can be performed before birth, will make this possible.
She has announced her fundraising program, Love Grows Miracles, which will provide funding through scholarships to support research being done by physicians and scientists at Shriners Hospitals for Children® to ensure healthy births and pave the way for the development of innovative treatments that may one day eliminate some birth disorders. “Every parent hopes their child will come into this world healthy, and without difficulties. The researchers at Shriners Hospitals for Children are working hard to gain understanding that will help develop and refine in utero procedures, ultimately allowing more parents to experience the incomparable joy and wonder of a healthy newborn,” said Anne Bergenske, First Lady of Shriners International. Whether the problem is spina bifida, cleft lip and palate, cerebral palsy, limb abnormalities, or any other of countless complex medical conditions, there will be solutions in the future. Science and research have the potential to provide answers that may one day eliminate the occurrence or development of these conditions.
WATCH: LOVE GROWS MIRACLES, FIRST LADY ANNE BERGENSKE
“Let’s do more than imagine a world without birth disorders; let’s help make it a reality,” said First Lady Anne.
“As both a Shriner and a father, this is a very special car for me to drive,” said Ragan. “It represents the more than 1.3 million kids cared for by Shriners Hospitals for Children. Every child helped by Shriners Hospitals is a testament to the hope, love and quality care that they provide.”
During Saturday’s race, Ragan will be cheered on by a Shriners Hospitals patient who is reaching his dreams. Sixteen-year-old Riley Desin has had more than a dozen surgeries at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Tampa for hereditary multiple exostoses, a genetic condition that affects his bones. He loves to play basketball and watch NASCAR races any chance he gets.
“Kids like Riley remind us why our mission to provide the best pediatric care possible is so important,” said Chris Smith, chairman of the Board of Directors for Shriners Hospitals for Children. “Many routine medical treatments were first pioneered at Shriners Hospitals for Children. With the help of David Ragan and our supporters, we look forward to another 95 years of global pediatric specialty care.”
Research that Provides Answers
Shriners Hospitals for Children has a long history of conducting research that leads to new, innovative treatments that change lives. Since the first Shriners
Hospital opened in 1922, our health care system has been responding to unmet medical needs of children, and providing answers and hope where there were none. That tradition continues as we seek to gain the knowledge and understanding necessary to ensure more babies are born healthy, without difficulties.
Support Our Fundraising Efforts
First Lady Anne invites you to join her in supporting the innovative research underway at Shriners Hospitals for Children that will one day lead to new and improved in-utero treatments and change the lives of countless children and families.