CrossFit Kennett Square will host a benefit to help find a cure for Diamond Blackfan Anemia, which Milledge Estes, a son of one of CrossFit’s members current suffers from.
KENNETT SQUARE — Crossfit Kennett Square is holding Mighty Milledge, a charity workout and BBQ to find a cure for the rare disease that Milledge Estes, the son of one of their members, has. Milledge was diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) when he was six months old, after doctors found he had a dangerously low hemoglobin and needed blood transfusions at birth.
DBA is a rare, life threatening bone marrow failure disorder in which the body doesn’t make red blood cells. Milledge has had more than 100 blood transfusions, and every night, Milledge is hooked up to an infusion line for 12 hours to receive medication. Melanie, Milledge’s mom, shares, “There’s no cure for DBA, and because there are fewer than 700 known cases, families like ours have to reach out to help raise money for research for a cure. The Mighty Milledge event at Crossfit Kennett Square could raise the dollars that finally give my son a chance at a healthy, normal life.”
The event will take place on June 28 at Crossfit Kennett Square (529 Rosedale Road, Kennett Square). For $30, participants will be invited to complete a fun (but optional) workout that can be scaled to any fitness level and enjoy a BBQ and raffle. Information about the event can be found at: www.facebook.com/mightymilledge. People can pre-purchase tickets or make monetary donations by searching for “Mighty Milledge” on www.eventbrite.com.
Milledge’s mom, Melanie, started attending Crossfit Kennett Square when it opened, two years ago. She says she was struck by and how the people with whom she worked out quickly became like family members. When her fellow Crossfitters discovered her son was sick, members wanted to know how they could help. “When people ask me how they can help, I always suggest making a donation to the organization that will benefit from our fundraiser—the Diamond Blackfan Anemia Foundation. Research into a cure is the number one way to improve my son’s life,” shares Melanie. “I’m just overwhelmed by the fact that people have been so eager to help my son. With a disease so rare, families affected by DBA need help raising money, and Crossfit Kennett Square’s Mighty Milledge event will go a long way to fund research.”
Readers can find more information on DBA at: www.dbafoundation.org
