1st Annual Sadi Memorial Fund

I would like to start off by taking you back in time to when Sadi’s story began. It was during my last five weeks of pregnancy, the doctors found a problem with Sadi. I was told that she had no brain or brain stem and would most likely die prior to birth. Sadi was born with Congenital Hydrocephalus at Ochsner’s Hospital on April 12, 1993. I decided to name her Sadi because it seemed that whenever I would hear the name Sadi spoken, it belonged to a strong, feisty, fun-loving elderly lady, and I knew the road ahead of her would take strength, endurance, and determination.

She had many surgeries at Ochsner’s Hospital relating to her shunt. After age two, all the medical issues settled down. VP shunts normally last ten years max, and Sadi’s was 19 years old. On November 8, 2014, we arrived at Ochsner’s Hospital because I found her shunt was no longer working properly. Sadi had surgery on November 10th and the following morning, she had aspirated and slipped into a coma-like-state. Sadi never regained consciousness and remained on a ventilator. On November 19th, Sadi gained her wings.

I believe it was the year 2001 when we were introduced to the Louisiana Lions Camp for crippled children. From that year until Sadi turned 20, she attended the camp every year, free of charge. She loved the camp so much and became a huge part of the camp. Her legacy at camp lives on. She is on the camp’s official site, which relics the enjoyment she encountered. The Louisiana Lions Camp is a non-profit residential summer camp for crippled children. The camp is “FREE” for boys and girls with qualifying Special Needs, Diabetes, or Pulmonary Disorders. The cost for each child averages $400.00. To date, more than 22,190 children have attended the camp allowing them a life-impacting week at their summer place in Leesville, Louisiana. The camp operates a one week session for youths with pulmonary disorders (ages 5-15); two week sessions for mentally challenged and hearing/visually impaired youths (ages 7-19); and two week sessions for youths with diabetes (ages 6-14). The youths enjoy a range of activities, including swimming, arts and crafts, archery, gun safety, and nature galore.

The Louisiana Lions Camp is financed by voluntary contributions. In memory of Sadi, we are looking to purchase a cargo trailer and could use your help to make that dream possible. The cargo-trailer will be used to assist in transporting the campers’ wheelchairs and other medically needed equipment to and from camp. The Louisiana Lions Camp is also looking to build another wing to better accommodate the needs of campers. Any additional donations will be forwarded toward funding the additional wing to the camp.
-Laura Guise