Date: June
28th-30th, 2002
Location: Sheraton Columbia Hotel,
Columbia, Maryland
Details about the Event:
Our 2002 retreat was a smashing success! The event started
Friday evening with time to meet with old and new friends. Later in the
evening, Jim Hill, Kariym Joachim, Melissa Lake, and the Whicker family all
gave eloquent and moving speeches about their personal experiences with
Treacher Collins syndrome.
Saturday morning started off early
with our line-up of guest speakers. Our guest speakers and their topics included:
- Dr. John K. Niparko - Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid Implantation
- Molly Ferris, Entific Representative - BAHA updates
- Dr. Robert Jahrsdoerfer - Canalplasties and Middle Ear Reconstruction
- Dr. Mark Mitchell Jones - Outer Ear Reconstruction
We were very fortunate to have all of our speakers present their expertise
to us. We all learned a great deal about the medical and
surgical options available with regard to ear reconstruction and
hearing.After Saturday lunch, people gathered in small groups for
an informal afternoon of exchanging experiences and friendship.
The whole group reconvened that evening for a festive dinner and
dance. Dan Sandys
kept the music lively throughout the evening and kept those toes
tapping. Also, we had a special appearance by
Brian Wilson and his parrots as a surprise for the kids.
Everyone was in high spirits and had a wonderful time dancing,
including the parrots.
Sunday morning, everyone met for a breakfast filled with lots of
hugs and reluctant goodbyes. Eva, the clown, made a surprise
appearance for the kids. Then, one by one, the families
departed for their homes taking with them undeveloped pictures and
hearts full of memories made with many old and new friends.
More personal accounts of the weekend may be viewed in the
2002 Memory Book.
We wish to offer our deepest gratitude to everyone who made the
retreat possible and to all who attended the retreat! We hope
to see you all at the next retreat. For those who could not
make it this year, you were missed and we hope to see you at the
next retreat as well. Details about the next retreat will be
posted as soon as they become available, so stay tuned.
