Family Holds Grandpa's Gift Fundraiser

Family of Maggie Shae Sheridan of Downers Grove will host Grandpa's Gift 2nd Annual Golf Outing Fundraiser on May 31st at The Village Links of Glen Ellyn.  The nine-hole tournament will be followed by a post-golf reception featuring a silent auction.  Proceeds of the event will benefit the Osteogenisis Imperfecta Foundation (OIF).
At six weeks of age, Maggie, who is now two, was diagnosed with Osteogenisis Imperfecta (OI). Also known as brittle bone disease, OI is characterized by weak bones, which break easily. People with OI often have hundreds of breaks throughout a lifetime and may suffer from severe pain, higher incidence of breathing problems and more. Approximately 50,000 people in the U.S. have OI, which affects each individual differently.  There is no cure, and supplements and vitamins do not improve the bone structure. Because of the rarity of the disease, there is little funding being devoted to medical research or to the promotion of awareness about OI. 
"We feel that Maggie is lucky as she has only had four breaks; three discovered when she was six-weeks old, and one recently.  We know of many children who have had hundreds of breaks by this age," said Maggie's mother, Jessica Gottman Sheridan "Maggie will always have OI and we're not fully aware of how this will impact her life. The OIF has been extremely helpful to us in navigating this disease and we're happy to be able to support their efforts."
The Osteogenisis Imperfecta Foundation, a 501 c (3) charity works to raise awareness, fund research and assist people across the country living with the brittle bone disorder. "When Maggie was first diagnosed, we'd never heard of this disease.  The OIF is where we turned for help and they have been amazing," said Jessica.
Grandpa's Gift is an annual fundraiser held in memory of Maggie's Grandpa Tom who died when Maggie was six months old.  "Although they had little time together, we look forward to this annual event to honor his generous spirit, fun-loving personality and love of sports and the outdoors.  Maggie Shae's grandpa would have been very devoted to helping to find a cure for OI.  The OIF is at the forefront of helping to fund research and we are all hopeful and optimistic that one day a cure will be found," said Jessica.
HOW YOU CAN HELPAn online auction, which began on April 28th, will continue until May 27th.  This features items including sports and show tickets, museum memberships, hand-made items and more.  100% of the proceeds will go directly to OIF. To view and/or bid on auction items, visit https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/browse.action?auctionid=215867785">https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/browse.action?auctionid=215867785">https://www.biddingfo....
Donations of items for auction will gratefully be accepted.  Contact jcgottman@yahoo.comTo donate directly to The Osteogenisis Imperfecta Foundation visit http://www.oif.org">http://www.oif.org">http://www.oif.org
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