Paul Kent and Rachael O’Neill are amazing parents to two wonderful kids, Annika and Enzo. Enzo has some significant health issues that have presented a significant challenge to their family. Here is a part of their story in Rachael’s words:
“Enzo was born November 6, 2012 and within a few hours we started to find out that things were going to be different this time around. We learned that first day of his heart defect, hip dysplasia and an inguinal hernia. That was heavy news, but in the coming months we were to learn that his initial diagnoses were but a drop in the bucket.
Enzo has an exceptionally rare connective tissue disorder which affects many different systems and organs in his body. It affects his muscles, his joints, his brain, his eyes, his esophagus and bowels, his ears and sinuses, and his blood vessels including all arteries and veins and his heart. His joints are lax and hypermobile so he easily injures himself by hyperextending his knees, elbows and shoulders. His muscles are hypotonic so he has significant developmental delays. He has dysautonomia related to a baroreceptor reflex failure. This means that Enzo’s blood pressure, temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, venous return to the heart, esophageal and bowel motility, pupil dilation, and all other autonomic nervous functions do not respond appropriately and cause systemic problems that often end Enzo up in the ER. He has severe reflux which unfortunately cannot be treated with typical measures due to his underlying connective tissue fragility. So he refluxes and aspirates and chokes often which also results in more EMS involvement in our lives than we’ve ever had before. Perhaps the most frightening aspect of Enzo’s condition is his cardiac diagnosis. Enzo has an ascending aortic aneurysm and a bicuspid aortic valve. The aneurysm is a life-threatening heart defect with very poor options for treatment. It is managed now with very frequent monitoring and medication. Eventually it will necessitate open heart surgery - likely many over the course of his life.
Although we are exceptionally grateful to live in a country with universal healthcare, we have been shocked by how expensive caring for a medically complex child can be. Enzo’s formula alone costs over $2000 each month. His medications, orthotics, and specialized equipment add even more to that amount. Enzo requires 24 hour nursing from a parent or medically qualified caregiver and cannot attend regular childcare. As his hospital admissions have been prolonged and frequent and his clinic visits are at minimum 3 times a week, it is impossible for both parents to work. Finding childcare for our older child, transportation to the hospital, hospital cafeteria food while admitted, and the loss of half of our income have all been incredible blows financially as well.”
This campaign has been set up to help offset some of Enzo’s medical costs. Our initial goal is to raise $5000 to give some financial relief to this wonderful family. Should we make our goal of $5000, we will keep the campaign open and try to make our second goal of $10,000. All funds will go directly into a trust account that has been set up in Enzo's name for his medical needs. If you would like to contribute directly to the trust account please contact Owen Scott. (owenhscott@yahoo.ca)
The perks have all been donated by various skate companies and individuals and we would like to thank Loaded Boards, Orangatang Wheels, Rayne Longboards, Landyachtz Longboards, Royal Boardshop and Anna O’Neill for their support of this campaign. Canadian shipping on these perks will be free, and we would ask that you contact Owen Scott(owenhscott@yahoo.ca) to work out the details for any international shipping.
If you haven't already, go and like Paul and Rachael's facebook page that they've set up to send out information about Enzo and then you can stay up to date with how they're doing: https://www.facebook.com/TeamEnzoK
Rayne Longboards has stepped up in a huge way and have made a super limited edition board, of which all the proceeds go straight to the Kent-O'Neill family! There are only 30 and they're rad! You can grab one here: http://goo.gl/hYr4lQ
Thank you so much for your support!
Highlights
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Donated by Rayne Longboards. Superior grip for cornering, freeriding, speedboarding and sliding. GET VICIOUS! - - Each pack includes 3 pieces 10”x11” grip and 5 stickers - Extra-coarse grit for maximum grip - High adhesion pressure sensitive backing can stick on top of your old grip - Flexible and contour forming - it works on all downhill deck designs without wrinkling - Wraps around edges - Water resistant
- 1 claimed
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Donated by Rayne Longboards. Superior grip for cornering, freeriding, speedboarding and sliding. GET VICIOUS! - - Each pack includes 3 pieces 10”x11” grip and 5 stickers - Extra-coarse grit for maximum grip - High adhesion pressure sensitive backing can stick on top of your old grip - Flexible and contour forming - it works on all downhill deck designs without wrinkling - Wraps around edges - Water resistant
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Donated by Rayne Longboards. Only Small available. The Rayne Blood Hoodie is usually kept for Team Riders, but we have decided to make a limited amount of these available to YOU while quantities last! These are a Slim-Fit so keep that in mind when picking out your size!
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Donated by Rayne Longboards. For 2013, we have updated the urethane pour and moved away from the yellow and red swirl of 2012 to a single, satisfying, performance oriented Ruby Red urethane. We couldn't be more stoked! Specs: Diameter - 70mm Durometer - 77a or 80a Contact Patch - 53mm Features: Square Lip - More lip so you can grip. Factory Finish - Leave 'em shinny and hold on tight or break 'em in and drift all day. Grip-set - Offset 3-star core reduces bulk for more grip and faster roll speed without giving up controlled drift. Slide Thane - Smash out buttery, controlled slides without fear of flatspots.
- 1 claimed
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Donated by Rayne Longboards. For 2013, we have updated the urethane pour and moved away from the yellow and red swirl of 2012 to a single, satisfying, performance oriented Ruby Red urethane. We couldn't be more stoked! Specs: Diameter - 70mm Durometer - 77a or 80a Contact Patch - 53mm Features: Square Lip - More lip so you can grip. Factory Finish - Leave 'em shinny and hold on tight or break 'em in and drift all day. Grip-set - Offset 3-star core reduces bulk for more grip and faster roll speed without giving up controlled drift. Slide Thane - Smash out buttery, controlled slides without fear of flatspots.
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Donated by Anna O'Neill. Only top quality Rayne construction and finish ever leave our North Vancouver factory, but everyone makes a mistake now and then. Rayne Mini's are a way for us to reduce our waste when we make mistakes by saving the part of the board that is the hardest to mess up, the middle! By up-cycling (fancy word for making something better or more useful then it was) our mistakes and prototypes, we can make you a fine, hand crafted Mini to bomb on around on and avoid putting excess waste into our landfills.
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Donated by Rayne Longboards. Only top quality Rayne construction and finish ever leave our North Vancouver factory, but everyone makes a mistake now and then. Rayne Mini's are a way for us to reduce our waste when we make mistakes by saving the part of the board that is the hardest to mess up, the middle! By up-cycling (fancy word for making something better or more useful then it was) our mistakes and prototypes, we can make you a fine, hand crafted Mini to bomb on around on and avoid putting excess waste into our landfills.
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Donated by Rayne Longboards. You can’t just give the Mona Lisa a little blush, right? Well, we didn’t just put a glossy new graphic on a Killswitch either, we went for a full reconstructive surgery! Since ‘09, the Killswitch has been one of the winningest boards in downhill. Taking what works best, with what we know now and it’s out with the old, in with the new. The Future Killer is going to help take your riding into the next millennium!
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Donated by Loaded Boards. Choose between Flex 1, 2 or 3. Contact owenhscott@yahoo.ca with your flex choice. With a slightly wider platform than its predecessor, the Dervish Sama balances comfort, edge control, and responsiveness. Combined with a more pronounced concave profile, the extra width enhances turn initiation and slide control. We added subtle nose and tail kicks to increase pop and lock your feet in for freestyle tricks. The neck and dropthrough cutout were also updated for increased durability under hard riding. A six-piece griptape pattern provides enhanced control at the kicks and facilitates comfortable footwork maneuvers on the standing platform without interfering with the board’s flex pattern.
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Donated by Loaded Boards. Choose between Flex 1, 2 or 3. Contact owenhscott@yahoo.ca with your flex choice. With a slightly wider platform than its predecessor, the Dervish Sama balances comfort, edge control, and responsiveness. Combined with a more pronounced concave profile, the extra width enhances turn initiation and slide control. We added subtle nose and tail kicks to increase pop and lock your feet in for freestyle tricks. The neck and dropthrough cutout were also updated for increased durability under hard riding. A six-piece griptape pattern provides enhanced control at the kicks and facilitates comfortable footwork maneuvers on the standing platform without interfering with the board’s flex pattern.
