The CHOC Walk in the Park will be taking place this year on July 21, 2024. Thousands of supporters of the Children’s Hospital of Orange County will be walking through the Disneyland Resort parks in an environment that is positive, magical, and full of heart. They will be led by this year’s CHOC Walk Ambassador, Kara.
Kara was born with Respiratory Distress Syndrome and early-onset neonatal sepsis. This was very dangerous and could cause inflammation. The inflammation and also blood clotting could be life threatening. Thankfully Kara was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital and minutes after being born, she was admitted to CHOC. Her dad was able to walk in the underground tunnel with her as she was moved to CHOC. “We don’t know what would have happened on that fateful day had we delivered at a different hospital,” the family shared.
It turned out that Kara would spend one week and one hour in the NICU at CHOC. Through this time, the family was supported by the team of nurses who helped them navigate this very difficult and scary time for these first time parents. The nurses would assure them when they had to leave at the end of visiting hours that they would be kept updated about anything that could happen. Kara’s parents expressed their gratitude for the team at CHOC saying, “They were so sweet from the nurses near the bed to the lactation nurse.”
Kara’s parents also shared about the emotions that they were facing as they navigated through this scary scenario. “Being first-time parents, we did as much as we could to prepare and welcome our daughter into the world. But we never imagined that something so precious and long waited for could be taken away from you so quickly. We have since never taken our daughter for granted.”
They also shared about the community and love they found while at CHOC with Kara. They also discovered just how good of hands they were in at CHOC. “We met other families in the NICU. Some were patients for three months or longer with much more complicated symptoms and medical issues,” they shared. Hearing their stories and their experiences with CHOC, we knew that we could put our trust in CHOC. We never felt any doubt and considered ourselves extremely lucky that CHOC was able to give us back our daughter. Now she’s 12 years old and thriving.”
Fast forward a couple of years and Kara is almost 2! It was at this time that her family heard about the CHOC Walk and created “Team Super Kara.” The team included the core family of three along with two other family members. A superhero theme was chosen as the family loves superheroes, even naming Kara after Supergirl! The following year, the team grew to 12 members.
Since 2013, “Team Super Kara” has been a fixture at the CHOC Walk in the Park. “Each year as we prepare for the walk, we are reminded of Kara’s birth and how grateful we are to those who allowed us to be parents. We look over pictures and watch videos and get inspired again to do more. We were also fortunate enough during our journey to meet other members of our community who CHOC has helped. When they heard about our team, they joined, and together, we walked for a common cause. CHOC didn’t only give us back our daughter, CHOC has given us a bond with those CHOC families in our community. As our members grew, we knew we had to change our team’s name to include as many friends as possible and so Team Super Kara & Friends was born.”
Through the years, the team has also come up with other fundraising ideas to help support CHOC. The family shared that they “wanted to give back to the community for their generous donation to CHOC.” One way they gave back includes the “Eat, Drink & Be Giving,” an event with food, drinks, kids’ activities and raffle prizes to raise both funds and awareness. This has grown through the years with local businesses donating products for raffles and also providing catering. “We were happy to bring our community together and raise awareness for CHOC.”
Today, Kara and her family continue to work to support CHOC in multiple ways. Kara shared what it is to be a hearo in a video about CHOC in 2018 saying, “A Hero doesn’t necessarily have to fight villains. A hero is an ordinary person who does extraordinary things.” Her family, and Daps Magic, firmly believes that is exactly what happens at CHOC. It becomes a hub for every day heroes that do incredible things.
When people participate in the CHOC Walk in the Park or support a CHOC Walk team, they are helping empower these every day heroes to make a difference in people’s lives, just like Kara. She went from being helped by those heroes at CHOC to becoming a hero and paying it forward. We sincerely hope that you will consider joining or supporting Team Daps Magic as we join in Kara’s efforts to support CHOC through this year’s CHOC Walk in the Park. You can join or support the team at chocwalk.org/dapsmagic.
The CHOC Walk in the Park is a fantastic way to make a difference for so many families that end up receiving care at CHOC. It also is a lot of fun! Each year, Team Daps Magic enjoys coming together, making a positive difference, and also being reminded of the importance of being in a positive community. We hope you will join our team this year as we walk through the parks!
