The walk is in honor of our son, Tate (“Taterbug”). Tate was hospitalized at UPMC Children’s for 6 months with a rare immune deficiency-SCID “severe combined immune deficiency” which required him to have a bone marrow transplant.
While we were there, we met so many remarkable people that are considered family to us now. Tate received the best care a mother could’ve asked for but the staff not only took amazing care of him but they also took amazing care of us. The level of care and support he needed was not possible in WV. His chance to live was just over a hour north in the great city of Pittsburgh. 

At first. the world we lived in behind those hospital walls was unfamiliar, new, scary, trying, and unimaginable to us. But we found out quickly we did not fight the battle alone. We felt compassion, empathy, warmth, security, and above all…HOPE. 

Even though Tate’s story didn’t have an ending we wanted or planned for, his light shined so bright that he changed so many lives with his smile, his personality, his resilience, and his strength. 

Tate, without a doubt, received all the care he could’ve possibly had. 
This hospital is filled with unsung heroes and the possibilities of children having positive outcomes is within reach.