TeiganSmile

“Anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.”
— Fred (Mr.) Rogers

Our children are our most precious resources. We need to protect them. Nurture them. And help them to prosper.
So, imagine the horror when your two-week old infant daughter begins to convulse, and you don’t know why. You rush her to the hospital where you’re told she has somehow contracted the herpes simplex virus (HSV-1).
“What? How can that be?” you ask in a panic. “Isn’t that a sexually transmitted disease?”
“Yes, and no,” you are told.
The HSV-1 herpes virus can also be transmitted through saliva, namely by
kissing someone on the mouth.

And then it hits you…
When your baby was born, and friends and family came to share in your joyful arrival, someone must have kissed your sweet child in a show of love. And without knowing, transmitted the herpes virus to your baby. What you didn’t know – what most people don’t know – is that according to the World Health Organization, 3.7 billion people under age 50 have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). That's 67 percent of the global population in that age bracket. And many of these people don’t even know they have it. And suddenly you realize how easily this could happen. Today, your child has quadriplegic cerebral palsy – a condition that will be with her for life. And that bright future you hoped to nurture is gone. That is my daughter, Teigan. A beautiful and resilient soul that longs to be like other children. Today, we are asking you to consider joining our fight to: a) Spread the word about the danger presented to infants by the HSV-1 herpes virus, and b) Raise much-needed money to help children like Teigan live a fuller life.

Won’t you be a hero to children like Teigan?
With your gift to our crowdfunding campaign, you will help us make sense of a senseless situation as we work to prevent future tragedies like this from happening and find the funds to help children already affected by this virus.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.