May 25:
US: Heart of extended community opens during ‘Heart 4 Tayt’ benefit
One is the inevitable increase in medical expenses; in addition to the major heart procedures related to a congenital defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Tayt has also undergone more than two dozen surgeries related to his Hydrocephalus. Explained in laymen’s terms, Hypoplastic Left Hearty Syndrome means Tayt was born without a left ventricle, the part of one’s heart that pumps blood to the lungs. And due to Hydrocephalus, his brain does not drain cerebrospinal fluid, or CFS, as it should.
Now Tayt awaits the day he’ll be cleared by doctors for a heart transplant, but he continues to defy medical explanations along the way. In his short lifetime he has endured more than two dozen shunt surgeries to maintain CFS drainage, and on 10 occasions his condition was so critical he was airlifted to the hospital. Six times he was resuscitated after flat-lining.
Still, there is another circumstance that has bloomed, and that is the number of hearts Tayt has touched in his seven years on Earth. Though he needs a new heart inside his own small chest, Tayt’s million-watt smile and indomitable spirit have won over countless well-wishers, including Idaho-based Broulim’s Supermarkets, Associated Food Stores headquartered in Utah and Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers in Wenatchee, WA.
The trio of food suppliers teamed up with additional sponsors on Saturday, May 25, for “Heart 4 Tayt,” a fundraising event that featured, among other items, apples grown and shipped by OSRG, received by Associated Food Stores and then distributed to Broulim’s Supermarkets.
More than 2,300 five-pound bags of ORSG apples were donated to the cause, with 100 percent of sales going to Tayt Anderson. Bill Price, vice president of perishables at Associated Food, said the nine-store, family-owned Broulim’s was holding the event at its stores in Rigby and Rexburg, ID. More than $11,000 was raised during the one-day event.
“Broulim’s is a fixture in Idaho, a third-generation grocer,” Price said. Scott Marboe, marketing director at OSRG in Wenatchee, said, “We are so glad to be a part of this effort and work with our friends at Associated Food Stores to help defray some of Tayt’s hospital bills. He’s a real fighter, and we can all learn a lesson from him.”
Indeed, the lessons learned include courage in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, because doctors told Tayt’s mother Chrissy her son would never walk or talk. Little did those medical professionals suspect one day Tayt would not only talk to television talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, but he’d also walk onstage and dance with his “girlfriend.”
In 2012 DeGeneres got word of Tayt’s schoolboy crush as well as his medical needs, and she learned that his biggest wish – next to dancing with her, that is – was to visit Disneyland. Ellen made it all possible, with Tayt, his mother and his siblings Gage and Jace spending time at The Happiest Place on Earth and on the set of Tayt’s favorite TV show.
“Heart 4 Tayt” foundation contributions can be made by contacting Broulim’s Supermarkets in Rigby, ID, or the corporate office at broulims.com or Zions Bank at zionsbank.com. More information on the youngster himself can be found on his own Facebook page, Tayt’s Wish.
For more information:
Scott Marboe
Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers
Tel: +1 509-888-5120
[email protected]