Akron Beacon Journal...
Polar Express heals all hurts  
December 12, 2011 

One train car on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Polar Express holiday train Friday night was filled with parents and their medically fragile children and siblings who love them. Families who, quite literally, don’t know what’s coming around the next bend. 

A second train car was occupied by children worried about military parents stationed in harm’s way. Families who, quite literally, don’t know what’s coming around the next bend. 

On this night, however, these pajama-clad passengers — thanks to some really cool benefactors who funded the nearly two-hour excursion — loved EVERYTHING coming around the next bend. Talk about a perfect prescription for hope and all things magical and wonderful. 

The elves inside the cars had taken care of all of that, singing, telling jokes, sprinkling magical Santa dust on waiting wrists. 

And right there in the thick of it was 2-year-old Kaylee Thompson of Cuyahoga Falls in her red-and-white polka-dot PJs. 

“The first two Christmases we were on lockdown,’’ Kaylee’s mother, Katie Thompson, said in a letter nominating her daughter for the free ride.

“In order to have a chance of surviving, she needed open-heart surgery. She spent the first 6 weeks of her life in Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. When Kaylee was 3 months old, she had her lifesaving open heart surgery. Kaylee — who had a rough recovery — suffered from a blood infection, pneumonia, seizures and a stroke and coded in the intensive care unit. A month later, she was discharged on a variety of heart medications, tube feedings, oxygen and IV meds. 

“At 1 year of age, she went into complete heart block and had to have a permanent pacemaker implanted at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.” 

Six months later, she had double eye surgery. Remarkably, she is now medication free and eats food by mouth. 

At the North Pole 

The inside of the train darkened and slowed down, signaling it had reached the North Pole. The riders were greeted by a colorful cast of characters — elves, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and more. 

Suddenly, a hush fell over the train car as it left the North Pole — that is, until Santa climbed inside, passing out hugs and bells. 

Hard to imagine any parent’s face painted with smiles as big as the ones flashed by Holly and Mark Schilthelm of Hudson. The reason? Their sweet-faced 6-year-old son, Aidan, was having a grand old time. 

“Aidan was injured at birth and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy a year later,” Holly wrote to introduce her family in her note. “Although he is unable to do anything physically (sit, walk, talk, eat) unassisted, he is incredibly smart and always has a smile ready to share!” 

Jessica Truesdale of Massillon sat with her 7-year-old daughter, Dakota; her daughter’s 7-year-old pal Mc-Kenzie McKay (a substitute for Daddy, who was at work); and the couple’s 5-month-old, Tanner. His twin brother, Tyler, remains tethered to lifesaving machines in the Akron Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit, suffering from TEF or tracheoesophageal fistula. “We’re hoping both will be able to ride next year,” was this mother’s hope. 

Terrie Jackson of Akron snuggled with her granddaughters, 7-year-old Davina and 2-year-old Serenity. Her daughter and the children’s mother, Pamela Gibson, is serving in the Army. “It’s a great little break for them,” an appreciative Jackson said. “I look at it like this: ‘While Mommy was taken from them [by the military], this is giving them something back.’ ” 

Four-year Jeffrey Buttermore III and his 1-year-old brother, Connor, accompanied by their mother, Beth, brought along their military Daddy in the form of a large cut-out photo. 

Renee Toth of Kent cuddled with her children: Myla, 9; John, 7; Zachary, 4; and 3-week-old Olivia. Meko McWain, John’s home health-care provider, was there for support. John, who is immunocompromised, has been hospitalized 12 times this past year alone. 

A nice surprise 

Brad and Celestia Brown of Doylestown and their children were happy to do something fun as a family. 

The Browns — who have 10 — accompanied their youngest four: Elizabeth, 5; Aaron, 7; Jacob, 9; and Noah, 12. “It was a complete surprise to them,” an excited Brad Brown said. “They didn’t know where they were going until we got here.” 

Five of them were severely injured Sept. 11 when their van veered off the road, striking a tree. The worst injured was Aaron, who suffered a brain stem injury along with a broken vertebra in his neck. 

He has had multiple operations, including one to fuse the vertebra in his neck that resulted in a surgically implanted halo, 

Aaron enjoyed the animation of the elves as they acted out the Chris Van Allsburg Polar Express story that inspired the train ride and the heroes who made the story come true for so many deserving families. 

Read this and other articles at Akron Beacon Journal

Akron Beacon Journal...

Polar Express heals all hurts 

One train car on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Polar Express holiday train Friday night was filled with parents and their medically fragile children and siblings who love them. Families who, quite literally, don’t know what’s coming around the next bend. 

A second train car was occupied by children worried about military parents stationed in harm’s way. Families who, quite literally, don’t know what’s coming around the next bend. 

On this night, however, these pajama-clad passengers — thanks to some really cool benefactors who funded the nearly two-hour excursion — loved EVERYTHING coming around the next bend. Talk about a perfect prescription for hope and all things magical and wonderful. 

The elves inside the cars had taken care of all of that, singing, telling jokes, sprinkling magical Santa dust on waiting wrists. 

And right there in the thick of it was 2-year-old Kaylee Thompson of Cuyahoga Falls in her red-and-white polka-dot PJs. 

“The first two Christmases we were on lockdown,’’ Kaylee’s mother, Katie Thompson, said in a letter nominating her daughter for the free ride. 

“In order to have a chance of surviving, she needed open-heart surgery. She spent the first 6 weeks of her life in Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland. When Kaylee was 3 months old, she had her lifesaving open heart surgery. Kaylee — who had a rough recovery — suffered from a blood infection, pneumonia, seizures and a stroke and coded in the intensive care unit. A month later, she was discharged on a variety of heart medications, tube feedings, oxygen and IV meds. 

“At 1 year of age, she went into complete heart block and had to have a permanent pacemaker implanted at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital.” 

Six months later, she had double eye surgery. Remarkably, she is now medication free and eats food by mouth. 

At the North Pole 

The inside of the train darkened and slowed down, signaling it had reached the North Pole. The riders were greeted by a colorful cast of characters — elves, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and more. 

Suddenly, a hush fell over the train car as it left the North Pole — that is, until Santa climbed inside, passing out hugs and bells. 

Hard to imagine any parent’s face painted with smiles as big as the ones flashed by Holly and Mark Schilthelm of Hudson. The reason? Their sweet-faced 6-year-old son, Aidan, was having a grand old time. 

“Aidan was injured at birth and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy a year later,” Holly wrote to introduce her family in her note. “Although he is unable to do anything physically (sit, walk, talk, eat) unassisted, he is incredibly smart and always has a smile ready to share!” 

Jessica Truesdale of Massillon sat with her 7-year-old daughter, Dakota; her daughter’s 7-year-old pal Mc-

Kenzie McKay (a substitute for Daddy, who was at work); and the couple’s 5-month-old, Tanner. His twin brother, Tyler, remains tethered to lifesaving machines in the Akron Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit, suffering from TEF or tracheoesophageal fistula. “We’re hoping both will be able to ride next year,” was this mother’s hope. 

Terrie Jackson of Akron snuggled with her granddaughters, 7-year-old Davina and 2-year-old Serenity. Her daughter and the children’s mother, Pamela Gibson, is serving in the Army. “It’s a great little break for them,” an appreciative Jackson said. “I look at it like this: ‘While Mommy was taken from them [by the military], this is giving them something back.’ ” 

Four-year Jeffrey Buttermore III and his 1-year-old brother, Connor, accompanied by their mother, Beth, brought along their military Daddy in the form of a large cut-out photo. 

Renee Toth of Kent cuddled with her children: Myla, 9; John, 7; Zachary, 4; and 3-week-old Olivia. Meko McWain, John’s home health-care provider, was there for support. John, who is immunocompromised, has been hospitalized 12 times this past year alone. 

A nice surprise 

Brad and Celestia Brown of Doylestown and their children were happy to do something fun as a family. 

The Browns — who have 10 — accompanied their youngest four: Elizabeth, 5; Aaron, 7; Jacob, 9; and Noah, 12. “It was a complete surprise to them,” an excited Brad Brown said. “They didn’t know where they were going until we got here.” 

Five of them were severely injured Sept. 11 when their van veered off the road, striking a tree. The worst injured was Aaron, who suffered a brain stem injury along with a broken vertebra in his neck. 

He has had multiple operations, including one to fuse the vertebra in his neck that resulted in a surgically implanted halo, 

Aaron enjoyed the animation of the elves as they acted out the Chris Van Allsburg Polar Express story that inspired the train ride and the heroes who made the story come true for so many deserving families. 

Read this and other articles at Akron Beacon Journal