March 31, 2014
For immediate release
Stampers eager to support Sunday’s SACTOWN race
When 7-year-old Cadence Stamper arrived at UC Davis Children’s Hospital last July a few days after suffering a stroke, her family’s mood quickly transformed from devastation, shock and exhaustion to one of hope and positive energy.
“We got there and it was almost instantly … relief,” said Amy Stamper, Cadence’s mother. “Everything and everybody was just positive and happy.
“It was the first time I had hope Cadence would get better.”
And she has. Cadence Stamper, now 8, spent three days at another local hospital before arriving at UC Davis Children’s Hospital paralyzed on her left side. A month of treatment and therapy at UCD helped her on the road to recovery, with the young girl learning how to run normally again and slowly starting to regain function on the left side of her body.
The Stampers are so grateful they plan to be at the fourth annual Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run Sunday morning at the state Capitol, ready to support a race that helps race money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, which include UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
The race, sponsored by local credit unions and put on by the Sacramento Running Association, begins at 8 a.m.
Amy Stamper, who lives in Orangevale with her husband Leroy, Cadence and 4-year-old son Triston, lavishes high praise on the UC Davis Children’s Hospital staff.
“They were constantly reassuring her,” Stamper said. “Cadence had full understanding. It was just the nurses were coming and talking to us.
“The nurses were amazing. They were like friends and nurses and Cadence’s friends … The doctors would talk with her and they would talk with me. The therapists were amazing.”
Stamper said her daughter underwent therapy three hours a day, six days a week, and developed a close bond with physical therapist Kaye Moultrie.
“Kaye told me we were going to work hard and she’s going to get better and she’s going to walk out of here,” Stamper said. “I thought, ‘She’s going to walk? Oh, gosh, she’s going to walk.’ It was the first time we felt hope.
“She (Cadence) didn’t want to leave the hospital. I didn’t want to go home.”
Stamper said the staff also made Triston, who has speech and developmental challenges, feel comfortable.
“They reassured us everything would be OK,” Stamper said. “They were making him feel special.”
Stamper, who has done some private fundraising to help UC Davis Children’s Hospital, said she expects her daughter to continue to improve.
“She’s doing pretty well,” Stamper said. “She still has some paralysis on the left side of her face, and her left arm. It’s not functional. She’s just now starting to move it.
“She’s doing amazing. Her running is getting better … Everything is slowly starting to come back. It will be a few years before she’s 100 percent, if she gets to 100 percent.”
What does Cadence remember about UC Davis Children’s Hospital?
“I love the curly fries,” she said. “My favorite therapist is Kaye.”
The Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run is held on the same day as the Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run in Washington, D.C., which also helps raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Since the Credit Union National Association became a sponsor in 2002, the Cherry Blossom race has raised more than $6 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals is an affiliation of children’s hospitals throughout the country. Each year these non-profit hospitals provide state-of-the-art care, cutting edge research and preventative health education.
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals treat more than 17 million patients each year, including 98 percent of all children needing heart or lung transplants and 88 percent of all children with cancer.
The Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run, which models itself after the Cherry Blossom race, helped raise more than $180,000 last year for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
Registration for the Credit Union SACTOWN Ten-Mile Run is $50 online until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday at www.sactown10.org. Runners can also sign up for a three-person relay for $120 per team.
A Miracle Mile for kids 13 and under is free for anyone registering by Friday at 11:59 p.m. and $10 at packet pickup and on race day.
The 10-mile SACTOWN course starts and finishes near the state Capitol, with runners going through midtown and east Sacramento.
The race will serve as USA Track & Field’s Pacific Association Ten-Mile Championship and features a $15,000 purse.
The Sacramento Running Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding ways to encourage people of all ages and abilities to run. The SRA is committed to developing new, quality running events that appeal to a broad variety of runners.