25th Annual Marriott Miracle Weekend Golf Outing

Our event is designed to support The Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. In 2018 the Marriott Miracle Weekend event raised nearly $72,000. Please help us reach our 2019 goal of $65,000. Funds raised remain local to help create miracles of health and healing for babies and children of our local communities.

 

 

 

Meet Benjamin!  

 

Just days after his seventh birthday, Benjamin’s parents took him to the doctor for what they thought was an ear infection and the nurse practitioner decided to take a blood test for good measure. Later that day, the pediatrician called and said, “I am very concerned about your son’s bloodwork Mrs. Burke. Drive very carefully, but quickly. There’s a bed waiting for Benjamin at the hospital and the hematology and oncology doctor is waiting for you.”

 

Benjamin was diagnosed with T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia on December 11, 2015, and started 3½ years of treatment. His therapy began with nine months of intense intravenous chemotherapy and weekly clinic visits to monitor his cell counts. In September 2016, he moved to the “maintenance” phase of his treatment, which includes daily chemotherapy pills, weekly antibiotics and monthly clinic visits for intravenous chemotherapy. At Lurie Children’s, Benjamin received support from Child Life Specialists to help him cope emotionally and manage his pain and School Services programs to continue his education while he was hospitalized. Support from both these services is made possible by funds raised through Children’s Miracle Network Hospital’s partners and programs.

 

Benjamin loves playing piano, playing golf with his two younger brothers and all things sports-related. When one of his sports heroes—Chicago Cubs first baseman and cancer survivor Anthony Rizzo—visited the hospital, they formed an immediate bond. The Rizzo family’s support for Benjamin and his family inspired the Burke family’s annual lemonade stand, which raises money for the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation and supports work done at the Lurie Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.  After his stressful days in the hospital, Benjamin has happily rejoined his classmates at school and his teammates on the baseball field.