Castin’ N Catchin’ to Help Kids with Heart Disease
When Brody Simpson was born May 8, 2015, his parents Jason and Lacey Simpson expected everything would be normal, but as soon as Lacey had a C-section, they realized they were wrong. Brody had outer birth defects that led doctors to discover that he has Shone’s Complex, a rare congenital heart disease. On May 10, Mother’s Day, Brody was in a helicopter on his way to Children’s of Alabama. He had his first open heart surgery at 13 days old. Jason recalls, “a newborn’s heart is the size of a strawberry, but Brody had the best surgeons who were able to take vessels the size of his IV lines and repair them.” Lacey adds that Brody is now a healthy and fearless toddler who “is just a joy.”
The Simpsons credit Children’s of Alabama for Brody’s success. Jason says stories like Brody’s are “what this hospital exists for.” The staff at Children’s sets the hospital apart because, according to Jason, “They minister to you first. It doesn’t matter if they are hungry or tired.” The Simpsons are adamant that the staff at Children’s are there because they desire for all stories to be like Brody’s. Jason and Lacey have chosen to tell Brody’s story because, “Brody was made this way to show God’s glory through him,” says Lacey. Jason reflects on their experience when he says, “The Bible says that faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen. When you are at day one, you see nothing and hope everything, but at the end you see that you hoped in the right thing the whole time.”
Jason and Lacey, along with three other families, have organized The Captain D’s Castin’ N Catchin’ for CHD (Congenital Heart Disease). The goal of the event is to raise awareness about congenital heart defects and funds for medical research. The inaugural 2016 event raised $105,000, with all proceeds benefitting the Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center at Children’s of Alabama. This year the fundraiser will be May 5-6 at Goose Pond Colony Resort in Scottsboro, Ala. The Angler’s Dinner will take place Friday May 5 followed by bass fishing in Lake Guntersville starting at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday May 6, plus a children’s area, food trucks, and an expo at the Resort from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register at www.castinncatchin.org and learn more by visiting Facebook.com/castinncatchin.
- Rachel Biddy
