Colorado Eagles Announce 2023 ‘Pot of Gold’ Fundraiser
Feb 27, 2023
WINDSOR, CO. - The Colorado Eagles are excited to announce the return of the team’s annual “Pot of Gold” fundraiser, in which the Eagles will be raising funds for 9-year-old Kinley and 7-year-old Kennedy Harrison of Arvada. Kinley and Kennedy are diagnosed with GM1 Gangliosidosis, an aggressive disease where the body does not produce adequate enzymes to break down certain molecules. Instead, these molecules collect on the brain and spinal cord, leading to widespread neurodegeneration.
The event will take place during the Eagles game against the Calgary Wranglers on Saturday, March 4th at the Budweiser Events Center. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to bid on specially designed St. Patrick’s Day jerseys worn by the Eagles players during the game. The silent auction will be held via the DASH auction app from Wednesday, March 1st through Saturday, March 4th. All money raised from the auction will go directly to the Harrison family.
A limited number of replica Pot of Gold jerseys will be sold on March 4th at the merchandise stand at the BEC to help support the cause. Pot of Gold hats and t-shirts will go on sale this Friday, March 3rd so fans can gear up for one of the most fun nights of the year!
The Harrison Family Story:
“Two of your children have a fatal, untreatable disease - they are dying”
That is the news we received for two of our beautiful daughters, Kinley (9) and Kennedy (7), the morning after our third daughter, Kieran, was born.
Without warning, we were faced with the sobering realization that our baby girls are dying. Before this disease takes them, Kinley and Kennedy will very slowly lose their ability to walk, talk, eat…and even smile.
We have been on a four-year journey trying to understand what might be causing the developmental delays Kinley has been experiencing. After countless appointments and evaluations with specialists from nearly every medical field, we finally received our answer on June 5th 2020 - the one we never saw coming. A full genetic screening revealed that not only Kinley, but her younger sister Kennedy both have an extremely rare genetic disorder called GM1 Gangliosidosis. We are forever thankful that baby Kieran is not affected by this wretched disease.
Currently, there is no approved treatment or cure for GM1, and it is always fatal in children.
Right now, Kinley and Kennedy are in a relatively “stable” state in their disease progression. They can still walk independently and are verbal, though both are experiencing speech issues that make them hard to understand. Looking at them, one would never know they both face such a grave fate, but there will come a day where each of them will no longer be able to run outside with their friends, jump on their trampoline, or tell their baby sister “I love you” if no treatments are developed.
Life expectancy for the type of GM1 Kinley and Kennedy have is difficult to predict, but estimates range anywhere from mid-childhood (10-15 years old) to the early twenties. We are hopeful that both Kinley and Kennedy have many more great years ahead of them at a quality of life that they both deserve. There is no way to know at what point the disease will firm its grip on Kinley and Kennedy - we are in a race against time.
There are several treatment clinical trials coming up for both substrate suppression therapy and gene therapy through drug companies, universities, and the NIH. In fact, some believe a cure is imminent - it simply needs the support and dollars to advance.
A Community-Wide Response:
Subaru of Loveland is supporting the cause by donating a portion of Subaru sales through the event and making an additional donation during the game on the 4th for all Chuck-A-Pucks that land inside the sunroof of the Subaru on the ice during the intermission “Chuck-A-Puck” promotion.
In addition to the silent auction of the themed Eagles jerseys that have been sponsored by Lucky Joe’s in Old Town Ft. Collins, with the help of the Larimer and Weld County Sheriff’s departments, donations will be collected during the game for anyone who would like to help Kinley and Kennedy and their family’s cause.
The annual St. Patrick’s Themed evening will also feature green Budweiser drafts, Irish step dancing, in addition to the Irish-themed jerseys, complete with a unique Celtic logo and the initials of the previous recipients of the “Pot of Gold.”
You can follow Kinley and Kennedy on their journey on Facebook and Instagram.
Click here to donate.
