Let’s start the last week of August with a game. You love games. Don’t worry you won’t embarrass yourself unless you want to.
Wherever you are, sit. For the next five minutes, you cannot use your hands or legs.
After five minutes, follow the jump.
That was a long five minutes. In fact it was a pretty crummy five minutes. You couldn’t go online, call on your cell phone, go to the powder room, snack on a croissant or even brush your hair back from your adorable face.
Wasn’t it great when that five minutes were up?
You know where we’re going, so just settle back and learn about someone whose five minutes is going to be forever.
Her name is Whitney Mitchell. Two years ago she had just graduated from Berkner High School in Richardson and aspired to be a dancer. She had everything going for her — talent, friends and family. Then in November 2010 she became sick. . . very, very sick. The team working with her thought it was a virus, but it got worse. She went into septic shock. Reality check: 12% chance of survival.
In an interview with WFAA, she said, ” When I woke up, I saw that my hands were black, greenish and my feet were, too.”
Whitney Mitchell and her friends
The answer was to amputate her arms below her elbows and her legs below her knees.
Whoa! That would send anyone into total “Pity me” syndrome, but not Whitney. She realized, “I didn’t want to sit there and cry and be depressed about it because there are reasons why things happen.”
Patricia Kirven
But it also affected the world around her. Her mother, Patricia Kirven, a single mom of three, knew adjustments would have to be made, both emotionally and financially.
Remember, Whitney’s traumatic change of life was not due to drugs, hanging around with the wrong crowd or wrong-way driving. She was one of the truly innocent victims at 18.
Now, fasten your seat belt. It’s now two years later and Whitney is “facing further surgeries and cost of prosthetics so that she may someday walk again.” The surgeries are needed to adjust her limbs to accept the prosthetics.
(Remind us to send a thank-you note to the engineers and other talented folks who have designed such remarkable artificial body parts.)
On Tuesday, September 18, “For Whitney” will be held at South Side on Lamar. Brunette “galabout” LeeAnne Locken will be the emcee, and WFAA’s Good Morning Texas Amy Vanderoef will serve as honorary event chair.
Jeff Colvin and Whitney Mitchell
It was the brainchild of Jeff Colvin, aka father of Big Brother’s Cassi Colvin. The evening (6:30- 9:30 p.m.) will include Rhonda Sargent Chambers‘s production including fashions (designers Abi Ferrin, Izavel, Shona and Elizabeth Anyaa ), music (The Maylee Thomas Band), food (Luna de Noche, Eddie Deen Catering, So Savvy Events and Lombardi’s Catering) and cocktails (Monticello Wines and Heineken) plus a silent auction, raffle and complimentary valet thanks to Metro Parking Services.
If you splurge and up the ante to VIP status, you’ll get the perks of the after-party at the NYLO South Side from 9:30-11:30 p.m.
Pre-event tickets are going for $50 (general admission) and $75 (VIP), while, if you wait, you’ll be paying $65 for general admission and $90 for VIP.
Why not save yourself a couple of bucks and commit now? It’ll make your accountant oh-so happy around April 15, when you report your 501 (c) 3 donations!
* Be forewarned that if you venture to Whitney’s website, there is music that challenges you to turn it off. So turn down your speakers, if you’re in a work area.
Photos provided by "For Whitney"
