Thanks to the generosity of the Philadelphia Phillies, twins Kaitlyn and Braden, age 15, enjoyed a special baseball-filled afternoon. Braden and Kaitlyn attended an on-field VIP Experience that included special seats to watch the game and a tour of the Citizen Bank Park field and building!
Previously, the twins have each received tickets to the Maryland Zoo and Movie & Pizza Night packages for a fun night in during recovery.
Kaitlyn is diagnosed with Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy and is unable to stand or walk on her own but uses a reverse walker and wheelchair to get around. Braden has SIBO, small intestine bacterial overgrowth, and chronic lung disease.
Jennifer, the twins’ mother, states that Braden, “plays baseball and loves it. He’s incredibly tall and already 6ft 3in. Many ask why he doesn’t play basketball but his weak lungs won’t allow for it.”
Kaitlyn, Jen says, “is a firecracker.”
Their mother recounts that her kids, “were born premature at 29 weeks after I was on strict bed rest in the hospital from 18 weeks on. They are our miracles. Kaitlyn was in the NICU for 5 weeks but Braden had a rougher start including a life flight from CCH to CHOP and finally came home after having surgery at 3 months old.”
Jen continues, “Kaitlyn had major surgery last July that involves an 18 month recovery. To help straighten out her gait and protect her hips, her surgeon at Nemours performed a bilateral osteotomy (cut and rotated her femurs) along with some muscle and tendon lengthenings to her gastric muscle and posterior and anterior tibial tendons. This was her third major orthopedic surgery.”
Kaitlyn’s Cerebral Palsy involves stiff, contracted muscles causing pain and shortening of the muscle “so surgeries are necessary, adds Jen.
“She’s still in the throes of post-op rehab with some complications but is undergoing a Zometa infusion soon to help strengthen her bones and will have her surgical hardware removed soon.”
Jen concludes, “She’s very excited as the hardware makes her pretty uncomfortable and she’s a special needs cheerleader so she is hoping to enjoy it more this season.”
Not only was the Phillies experience memorable for the twins, but the baseball game was also a late Father’s Day gift to the twins’ father, Mark.
Thank you again to the Philadelphia Phillies for continuing to give a once-in-a-lifetime experiences to Casey Cares kids! Casey Cares always appreciates in-kind donations of tickets to sporting events for the kids in our programs! Please email them to our Program Director Summer at Summer@CaseyCaresFoundation.org.