A Chance to Walk Again

Denise Bell
Post Managing Editor

June 29, 2009

Three years ago, Forney High School Junior Shaydon Pitts awoke from a nap paralyzed from the chest down and shortly there after she was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis.

A rare neurological disease that causes the immune system to attack the spinal cord, Shaydon has been courageously fighting the effects of the disorder and is now being given the opportunity to receive expert medical care at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dr. Douglas Kerr, a renowned specialist in the treatment of Transverse Myelitis has agreed to accept Shaydon’s case and to set her up with a “new treatment and exercise routine.”

According to Shaydon’s mom Marsha Herriage “after the routine change Shaydon will be in a position to take advantage of a new drug that can repair the damaged area and allow her to learn to walk again.”

Herriage explained “we need to raise funds to make the trips back and forth to the hospital and to cover the new medical expenses and equipment cost, so we’re having two fundraisers.”

The first fundraiser will be next Tuesday, June 30th, all day, at Los Hermanos in Terrell, where the immensely popular Mexican food restaurant will be donating 10% of all sales to Shaydon’s beneficiary fund which has been set up at American National Bank.

And then on Thursday, July 2nd, always generous Chick-filet in Forney will be donating “20% of any sale, that the customer requests be donated to Shaydon Pitts.”

Post readers interested in making a donation to help Shaydon are encouraged to attend either of the fundraisers mentioned or to stop by American National Bank and make a donation to the Beneficiary of Shaydon Pitts.