SPRINGFIELD, Mo-- The Kentucky Derby is May 7. It will certainly come with plenty of sundresses and big hats to go around. One watch party in Springfield is using the event to raise money for a very good cause -- money for families dealing with a pediatric emergency.
One such family has a daughter whose heart is on the wrong side of her body. Not only that but she was born without an esophagus and one of her lungs doesn't really work. The family has to travel to doctors and surgeons on a regular basis and that can get quite expensive
"I'm doing first grade work," Kadie Gossett explained, "and I'm in kindergarten." Kadie Gossett is a 5 year old ball of fire. She's already in the dating scene with her self proclaimed boyfriend Morgan. "He is handsome," Kadie said.
Her siblings are just as rambunctious as she is. Kadie, though, is very different than her sisters Madeline and Ashley. "Kadie has what is called Scimitar syndrome," explained H.O.P.E. Sertoma member Crystal Conway, "her heart is on the right side of her body."
The syndrome comes with a laundry list of problems. "She also has a vein that's not hooked up to her right lung," Kadie's mother Jennifer Gossett said, "so the right lung doesn't really work very well." Kadie has had 12 surgeries, but she has been a trooper through it all.
"It's just like walking two miles," Kadie said, "get it done and it's easy." For the family it hasn't been a cake walk. They've had to travel to St. Louis and Arkansas to see her doctors. "Kadie's last surgery," Jennifer said, "our car broke down right before it was time to go and there was no way to make it up to surgery."
Financially, it's been tough. Thanks a local charity that burden is easier to bear. "H.O.P.E. stands for helping overcome pediatric emergency," Crystal said. The H.O.P.E. Sertoma Foundation helped pay for repairs to the Gossett's car so Kadie could get the medical help she needed.
"Thanks to the hope foundation, that's one worry I don't have to have," Jennifer said, "if the car breaks down we know we'll have some help to get up there."
The family still has a long road ahead of them. Thanks to the H.O.P.E. Sertoma Foundation they have some financial help. A little optimism also never hurts.
"It's easy. We just get through it," Kadie said.
H.O.P.E. is an extension of Sertoma which stands for Service to Mankind. It's a women's service group that helps not only people in Springfield but surrounding counties. They help families with pediatric situations -- from premature babies to children with cancer.
H.O.P.E. is holding a Kentucky Derby Watch Party on Saturday, May 7. It's being held from 1 p.m. - 6 p.m. It's being held at the ChriShan Park Arabians Horse Facility off Hwy. AA in Springfield. Tickets are available for $10 at The Roost Bar and Grill, and both Parlor 88 locations, or you can get them online for $11 at http://www.hopesertoma.org. Tickets will be $12 at the door.
