WINDSOR, ONT. -- IronCore Kettlebell Club in Tecumseh is getting their sweat on to raise money for Maia Davies, a 16-year old girl with intestinal failure.
“For every dollar people donate, I will do one burpee,” expalins Rob Santarossa, owner of IronCore Kettle Bell.
Santarossa completed 2530 burpees in one day. “I started at 7 in the morning, I did 100 a pop. I think I ended up finished at 10:17 at night.”
Thanks to additional donations, IronCore Kettlebell Club has raised over $5000 to help the Davies family with expenses associated will Maia’s illness.
Since diagnosed with a rare form of intestinal failure at the age of three, Maia has needed 55 surgeries at Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital. Her condition requires her to rely on a gastrostomy tube to bring nutrition into her body.
“Sixteen hours, she’s hooked up to her pump every day. She has many medications she has to take daily,” says Maia’s mother, Connie Davies.
To make matters worse, the onset of her episodes are unpredictable.
“She could be sitting there right now, comfortable and fine. Then a switch goes off, and the vomiting starts,” Connie says a fever and extreme back pain are also common symptoms.
Maia is now facing the tough decision of whether she should undergo a multi visceral transplant. This major transplant would involve her liver, stomach, small intestine, and partial large intestine and pancreas. If the surgery is successful, it could improve her life drastically.
“She’s afraid of it not working and afraid of passing away,” says Connie. “The success rate is 60 percent.”
As Maia prepares psychologically for this momentous decision, her family will their continue to focus on the maintenance and management of her illness.
This means when an episode happens again, Maia will have to make a trip to Toronto Sick Kids Hospital for a visit that can last days to months.
