Senior Project !

• By Courtney Wintzell

Meet Andrew Parmer

He may seem like a normal

joyful baby but this child

has a serious condition for

the rest of his life.

Andrew Parmer

Born: April 22, 2011

• I'm Courtney Wintzell. For my senior

project, I helped plan a fundraiser for a

little boy who has Central Core Disease,

which is a form of Muscular Dystrophy.

• I chose this project because I wanted to do

in a way I could help people and I thought

this was a good way to help

The Story of Andrew• Andrew was born at 32 weeks on April 22, 2011 (Good Friday).

• Andrew’s mom had a condition called vasa previa. This is a rare

condition, and if not caught in time, has a 100% mortality rate for the

baby and 80% for the mother. Luckily, they caught it in time, and

Andrew’s delivery was successful. Two weeks following his birth,

Andrew stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Northside

Hospital Forsyth. At the time, Andrew’s family was told that he only

had premature lungs and low protein.

• At the end of those two weeks, Andrew did not make any progress,

and his doctors were unsure of how to proceed. Therefore, they

ordered that he be transferred to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at

Scottish Rite. It was there, after many tests and procedures, that the

diagnosis of Central Core Disease was finally given. During this time,

Andrew was given a tracheostomy to assist with breathing and a

gastrostomy tube (G-tube) to assist with feedings.

• After six long months, Andrew was finally able to go home on October

19th!

• He brought with him a plethora of medical equipment and three home

nurses who alternated 12-hour shifts.

• My research paper was on central core disease which is the disease that

Andrew has.

• Central Core Disease is a type of Muscular Dystrophy that affects the

muscles and the internal organs, specifically the tone and contraction of the

skeletal muscles. Typically, Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive disease,

which means it gets worse over time. Central Core Disease, however, is

different in that it is slow or shows no progression at all.

• This disease affects the ability to be mobile. Some of the symptoms are

poor muscle tone and weakness, skeletal deformities, and malignant

hyperthermia (a dangerous reaction to anesthesia).

Research Paper

Project facilitator

• My project facilitator’s name is Stephanie Frady. She is a very good friend

of the Parmer’s. I chose her because I knew that she would be the best to

work with because she knew the family.

Little Andrew!

What I did to Help?

• Throughout this entire process, his parents, Jeff and Amy, and big sister,

Hailey, have remained strong in their Faith and have put the life of their

child in the hands of God.

• Their story inspired me, and I started thinking that there must be some way

I can help them, which is where the idea for my senior project came about.

One of the major items sold was a Harley

Davidson motorcycle, which was donated by Zac

Brown and his non-profit organization, Camp

Southern Ground – it sold for $14,200!

Andrews BenefitOn March 3, 2012, we held a fundraiser at Hopewell Baptist Church, which we titled,

Andrew’s Warriors. Many activities and events were held throughout the day and

consisted of the following:

• BBQ plates for 7$

• Live cake auctions

• Silent auctions on various items

• Sold t-shirts, refrigerator magnets, and beach balls.

• Tshirts were $15

• Magnets and Beach Balls were $3

A few pictures from the big

day…

T-shirt/Accessories Booth

The man who bought the Harley

drove down from Minnesota to pick

it up.

Auction

Tables

Costs

• Shirts were no costs because we ordered

them with order forms

• Beach balls and magnets we got 300 for

$100

Challenges we faced!• Although we created a Facebook page and website to sell t-shirts, we still

had problems with advertisement.

• Finding a location was an issue. Our Homeowner’s Association never got

back to us about having the benefit at our neighborhood pool.

• It was also difficult to find people to help volunteer at the benefit.

What I learned?

• Throughout this entire process, I learned that helping people can go a long way.

When Stephanie Frady came to me about this idea I was blown away. I knew we

could help this family, and I had many ideas. Stephanie and I put our ideas together,

and we made our plan a reality. Even though the benefit is over, we will continue to

help the family by selling t-shirts and accepting donations through the Andrew’s

Warriors website.

• Before all of this came about, I thought I wanted to become a counselor for teens.

However, after this amazing journey, I have decided I want to be a nurse because I

enjoy helping people.

Here are the websites where you can go to help!

• https://www.facebook.com/AndrewsWarriors1

• http://andrewswarriors.bbnow.org

•Thanks Judges! Feel

Free To Ask Any

Questions!