Two Years Old

I’ll probably tell this story again 40 times, so forgive me. It all seems like such a flash, but Holden was born two years ago today. It was one heck of a morning.

It was October 11^th, early in the morning. We were scheduled for a big C at 7:30 AM (I say we, but it was really Nicole going under the knife). I roping my way through only a couple hours of sleep, all reduced by the anticipation of what was to come. After arriving at the hospital, we valeted, walked up to a tiny waiting area, and sat. I was maybe 5 minutes in before I announced that my intentions to go get some coffee to try and counter the fight that my weighted eyelids were putting up. Without much objection, I set off for the cafeteria and loaded up a 20 ouncer of Dunkin’s finest. As I rushed back up to the waiting room. Nicole was nowhere to be found.  

Tin Man at the 2013 Miracle Miles!

 

The 2013 Miracle Miles was an unbelievable success! As a team we raised almost $9,000 for the NICU at Winnie Palmer Hospital. Taking into account that a donor matched all money raised for the race, Team Tin Man was responsible for almost $18,000 in donations this year. Throughout the day, we were greeted by several of the hospital's doctors who asked us to thank every one of you personally for making such a number possible.

For the run, our team stood 83 strong and once again littered the streets of Downtown Orlando in our awesome, Patricia Durfee custom designed shirts (Thank you to Mirus Ventures, Scendia Med-Surg, and the Spine and Scoliosis Center for making those possible). Included in that group was our first ever award winner, Jennifer O’Brien, who finished 3rd place in her 15k age group. We also were excited to see a couple teammates making their way from Abbotsford, British Columbia for the race. (They said it was hot, eh)

Thank you to everyone who walked, ran, and donated in the name of Team Tin Man, we are forever grateful for your support. This race has been, and will continue to be a rallying point for Holden's fight. Seeing so many people sacrifice their morning and (in some cases) bodies is amazing.

Please mark your calendars for join us on February 8, 2013 for the Orlando Chili Cook-Off!

Thank you!

Trey, Nicole, And Holden Flynn

More photos after the jump...

2013 Miracle Miles

It's that time of year again! Please unearth those stale legs from the couch-like region of your living quarters. Stretch your body something good. Prepare for a grueling 15k 5k run light jog walk. It's the Miracle Miles Run!

We're back for our 3rd year of racing, aiming for the best yet. In 2012 we put together a team that featured almost 100 runners/walkers. About 20 of our competitors competed in the 15k. And lets not forget we raised over $16,000 for the Winnie Palmer Hospital NICU. Topping that will be tough, but we know we'll give it the best shot we can.

As we have mentioned in the past, this race is very important to us. Not only was it a rallying point for our family and friends in the days before Holden's birth (literally 2 weeks), but it helps us give back to a part of the hospital that gave us so much.

Holden's first days of his fight were spent in the NICU, and it gave us a great view of the wonderful care he would be receiving from the Arnold Palmer family of hospitals.

Please join us for the race. Can't make it? You're welcome to donate. We hope to have a fundraising event or two up soon. Please stay tuned!

Team Tin Man Miracle Miles Sign Up  

Event:
Saturday, September 21, 2013
7:00 am - 5k (3.1 miles)
7:20 am - 15k (9.3. miles)
9:30 am - Kids' Fun Run
9:45 am - Walk-for-Winnie
10:00 am - Awards Ceremony

TEAM TIN MAN UNITE!!!

Aveeno Men's Products

It's tough for any dad to admit he's not perfect. Most of us grow up with visions of our own father's being Superman, possessing no ill character traits. A beacon of all that's great. I'll admit it, I have one flaw. Only one. I am very unsuccessful when it comes to growing a well manufactured beard. 

I give you the Cliff Clavin Syndrome. (Cliff Clavin? You ask?) 

There was an episode of Cheers where they all grew beards, and Cliff embarrassingly had some empty terrain. (I'm sure it's on the internets somewhere. Everything is on the internets.)  Much like Boston's favorite mailman, I have two small patches of scorched earth that cramp what would be a rather rad red haired chin cap. This means keeping a clean shave is ever important, as the patches tend to disfigure my otherwise stunning look.

I recently tested Aveeno's new line of men's care products. Included in that line are a facial wash, shaving cream, and after shave lotion. (Did I mention I also have sensitive skin? Yeah, I don't fend rashes off very easily, especially when it comes to shaving.)

Holden at Knight-thon

Life has been a bit hectic on our end, so we apologize for not updating this sooner. Plenty of Holden updates coming. Promise.

In April Holden was invited to be a guest at Knight-thon, a grueling 18 hour dance marathon put on by students at the University of Central Florida.

These students dance for 18 straight hours with only small breaks to prevent the total shutdown of their central nervous systems. The event also took place on a Saturday/Sunday, meaning these students were also willing to sacrifice an optimal, late semester weekend in the name of the Greater Orlando Children's Miracle Network.

After sharing his story, and doing his own on stage dancing, we were greeted by three groups of students who had fund-raised and were dancing in Holden's name. Decked in Mickey Mouse paraphernalia (Holden's favorite) and sweaty from a few hours of stomping, everyone shared their amazing personal fundraising stories. We were floored with the lengths that these students went through, and most of them were meeting Holden for the first time. Just unbelievable.

Thank you to the UCF President's Leadership Council, Beta Theta Pi, and Delta Sigma Phi for all the awesome gifts and for your support. It really made Holden's day and your fundraising made the day for thousands of kids who will benefit from the proceeds.

In all, the Knight-thon raised $258,554.17 for the Greater Orlando Children's Miracle Network. Pretty amazing stuff. Check out the pictures below!

Congrats to Strong Films

We'll have a Heart Month wrap-up on here soon, but we wanted to take a minute to recognize everyone at Strong Films. In November of 2011 Mike Schmidt from Arnold Palmer Hospital reached out to us, asking if we'd allow Holden's story to become the feature of a short for the hospital. We agreed, and Mike immediately set up a meeting with the film's director, Jon.

On a wet November Saturday, a beard friendly Jon Strong came skipping into our driveway on the back of a Vespa. For an hour, he threw a calliope of questions our way. Filming began in January of 2012. Holden's surgery wasn't part of the original plan. If you'll recall, Holden's first surgery was scheduled for a Friday. We found out he'd be going under the knife two days before that. Jon was supposed to meet us that weekend to film various auxiliary scenes for the film. I called him Thursday cancelling, explaining why I had to delay his work. He paused and asked, "If I can get permission, do you mind if I film the surgery?" I didn't really pause all that long, "Sure, why not?" I won't lie, my focus wasn't on Jon's question. I was so windblown blown the surgery, he probably could have tricked me into signing the deed to my house over to him at that time. Jon text me that night saying he was still waiting to hear from the doctor.

I didn't hear from him again until the next morning. And when I say morning I mean like 5 AM, riding to the hospital, chugging coffee to fight anxiety. Jon had beaten us to the hospital, and was ready to film. We arrived, met Jon and his friend Chris and they started filming immediately.

We really don't remember the cameras. The perfect cocktail of anxiety, a complete lack of sleep, and caffeine will do that to you.The Tin Man was released on March 31, 2012.

When Jon described his vision of the film to us, we had no clue it would come out the way did. To say it exceeded our expectations is an understatement. In many ways Jon gave us a totally new point of view on our own story. I know other people felt the same way.

In November The Tin Man won a marketing award for Arnold Palmer Hospital. A few weeks ago it netted Strong Films the prestigious "Best in Show" at the Orlando ADDY Awards.

Congratulations to Strong Films, your hard work has paid off, and will continue to reward you. Thank you for letting us be a part of your success.

Heart Ball - 2013

We were proud to be invited to the American Heart Association's Heart Ball last night. Holden hammed it up enough to make his appearance known. We gave him the ol' Serge A. Storms look for "Safari Night" too. Special Thanks to everyone at the American Heart Association for their continued work in the CHD community.

We're growing!