Coulee Region’s OMS Teddy Bear Drive
Written by Ballzer on October 10, 2016
Join the Coulee Region Teddy Bear Drive to raise awareness for Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome, a rare disorder that only affects 1 in 10 million. They collect teddy bears to give to sick children in the hospital at Gundersen and Mayo in La Crosse and Vernon Memorial Hospital in Viroqua. Drop off locations this year are The Cheese Corner in Viroqua; The Cakery and Bakery in Viroqua; Kickapoo Corners in Readstown; Helzberg Diamonds at The Valley View Mall; Optical Fashions in La Crosse; Gunderson Health Systems Clinic in La Crosse; Onalaska High School in Onalaska; Onalaska Middle school in Onalaska; and MyLife Chiropractic in La Crosse.
Meghan Cota and Chloe Bruland are combining forces this year for their 2nd year in a row as they work on the Coulee Region’s OMS Teddy Bear Drive — to raise awareness for Opsoclonus Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS). OMS is a rare, neurological disorder of unknown cause which appears to be the result of an autoimmune process over-reaction involving the nervous system. The body’s immune system doesn’t “shut-off” normally and can then attack the child’s brain. It damages the brain, affecting eye movement and balance — sending a once normal child backwards. They may not be able to walk, speak, or even swallow while untreated. The treatments include suppressing the immune system with immunoglobulins, and/or steroids. Following that, they are left with many months and often years of physical and occupational therapy to re-tone their muscles and “re-wire” their brain functions.
The OMS Life Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes awareness of this rare disease. OMS is extremely rare and affects one in ten million individuals per year. The foundation holds its national teddy bear drive each fall when the teddy bears are collected and donated to pediatric units at local hospitals. It is coordinated each year by some of the families affected with OMS. Each NEW bear is tagged with a ribbon and a small tag that includes a brief explanation of what OMS is and the website to find out more about OMS. They are then handed out to children and their siblings as a child is admitted to the hospital for any reason. Meghan who is 16 yrs. old, and a Junior this year at Onalaska High School, was diagnosed at 32 months. Chloe, who is now 24, is attending Southwest Tech in an Early Childhood Education program. This will be Chloe’s 6th year doing the OMS Teddy Bear Drive in the coulee region. She was diagnosed at 18 months.
Chloe and Meghan have had to endure many years of speech and physical therapy to help re-wire their brains. While you may not realize anything unique about these girls by looking or talking to them, they have plenty “leftover” issues you won’t see. Often one of the brain’s functions affected is the inability to sequence things like numbers, directions or steps in a process. There can also be anxiety issues, and delayed communication and social skills. These girls have been very lucky, now leading mostly normal young adult lives. They have fought through years of having to suppress the immune system with steroids and therapy, and the stigma of being labeled “different” throughout school. They are OMS Survivors whose parents advocated for them during their early years, and now they advocate for other OMS kids through the teddy bear drive. Drop off locations this year are The Cheese Corner in Viroqua; The Cakery and Bakery in Viroqua; Kickapoo Corners in Readstown; Helzberg Diamonds at The Valley View Mall; Optical Fashions in La Crosse; Gunderson Health Systems Clinic in La Crosse; Onalaska High School in Onalaska; Onalaska Middle school in Onalaska; and MyLife Chiropractic in La Crosse. Donations are also accepted on line at the OMS Life website if you are unable to go out and buy a new bear for the Teddy Bear Drive.
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