[ Music and Whistling ]
>> Let's see if the Bears can pronounce this!
>> Oh boy.
>> There's a couple T's that I'm not sure if they're I's or T's but.
>> Oh!
Necro--.
>> Enterocolitis.
>> Is that wrong?
[Laughter]
>> [Whispering] Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
>> Necro--.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis.
>> No, no--.
[Laughter] I still can't say it.
It's actually hard to say.
>> Okay, we're done.
>> Wait for Mommy.
>> I was at work.
My wife Christi calls and says, "The PICU doctor just called.
They are losing Owen."
>> I remember driving to the hospital, and [crying].
>> Good boy, Owen.
>> The surgeon said, "I have good news, and I have bad news.
The good news is your son's still here.
The bad news is he had necrotizing enterocolitis."
>> We were like, "How are we ever going to get through this?"
But anybody who knows Owen, he's a, he's a fighter.
[Music] But necrotizing enterocolitis is decaying and dying of your intestines, so the surgeons
went in, and they ended up taking over 30 centimeters of his bowel out.
[ Music ]
>> Some kidney impairment, gallstones, chronic lung disease from being born premature.
Absorption, nutrition issues, but one of the hardest struggles because there was no steps
to follow to make it better, was his eating journey.
[ Inaudible ]
>> I was just starting at the age of four or three to eat small pieces the size of a
cake sprinkle, but now I like broccoli, pizza, and hot dogs.
>> [Shouting] Yeah!
So Owen's joyful attitude has really pulled our whole family through some of our darkest
times.
He doesn't give up.
>> He takes every surgery that he has as a trooper.
He's braver than I am, that's for sure.
>> Here come the Bears over the [inaudible] in front.
Deflection!
Stopped by [inaudible].
Rebound, they SCORE!
It's teddy bear time!
Here they come.
>> We have a saying at our house: live like you are dying.
[ Music ]
And so Children's Miracle Network had asked us to give our story during the teddy bear
toss for our family, like this is, like literally a dream come true.
>> And Owen was kind of the, the man that night.
He was the focal point.
>> When I was at the teddy bear toss at the Hershey Bears game, I was just floored!
[ Music ]
>> See ya!
>> Children's Miracle Network has helped our family tremendously.
It's like our right hand when we're in the hospital when we need help.
>> Oh, Children's Miracle Network has been with me for my entire life.
They're a great community.
>> Anything from the time he was transferred to Hershey until now, more fun activities
for Owen were opportunities to grow and develop not health-wise and sick-wise, but developmentally
wise.
>> They have been lifesavers for our entire family.
[ Music ]
>> After everything CMN has done for us, it was a joy to throw the teddy bears, and every
one we threw, it was just like a big thank you, you know?
Shouting thank you as we were, as we're tossing them onto the ice.
Thank you for giving Owen the gift of growing up.
>> Thank you.
>> Thank you for Children's Miracle Network and the great organization that you are!
From your pal, Owen.
[ Music ]