$500.00

The annual Stroll for Strong Kids Walk and 5K Run will be held on June 4, 2023 where Golisano Children's Hospital supporters will enjoy a family-friendly atmosphere full of activities. 

We are very excited to have the Stroll back this year!  This is a
very important event to us!  We are able to honor Sarina and
share her story.  We are also able to give back and help support
the Golisano Children's Hospital for all they did for our heart
warrior and our family, and all the other children and families that
are a part of that wonderful place. 

Sarina

Jean Lester ("Chippy") was born April 11, 2015.  At

Sarina's anatomical ultrasound, the dr noticed something wasn't right

with the way her heart was growing.  She was diagnosed with a

congenital heart defect known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

(HLHS).  HLHS is a complicated heart defect where the left

ventricle does not grow, so the heart cannot properly pump blood and

distribute blood flow.  A series of surgeries is needed to help

repair and redirect blood flowing throughout the body.  When

Sarina was just 6 days old, she had her first open heart surgery.

After 7 1/2 weeks of living at the hospital, Sarina was finally ready to go
home!  We knew she needed the next surgery within 6 months or
so, so the dr said go home and do anything that you would normally do
as a family and have fun.  We had so much fun as being a family
of four and living under the same roof finally!  We visited many
family and friends.  We went on outings, to the zoo, museum,
parades, camping.  It was a feeling of being normal again for a
little bit.  Sarina loved being around her big brother, Jackson.
She just adored his every move, and he was so proud to finally be
with his little sister!  Sarina loved being around people! 
Any adventure we took, any place we went, she was just so excited to
be around people.  Her sweet little face and flirty eyes and
smile would always lure people closer, and once she had your
attention, she was in her glory!

Sarina loved all her visits at the hospital in between the surgeries. 
She had quite a fan club from being there so long that spring of
2015.   Any time she returned for a cardiac appointment or
small procedure she was excited to be back with her "hospital
family".

In November 2015, she was ready to have her second open heart surgery. 
The surgery went perfect and she was doing wonderful recovering. 
She was laughing, clapping, eating well, and just being as lovable as
ever to all that crossed her path. The day before she was discharged,
the dr found a blood clot in a very unusual place.  No one liked
the look of this new finding.  We were still to be sent home the
next day, but with a different plan in place.  Just after I
signed her discharge papers, and was finishing to pack up her room,
an unexpected event began to happen, and things took a turn for the
worse.  I quickly went from being so happy to go home and
continue being a family of four, to the horrific event of holding my
angel in my arms.  

For the Stroll in 2015, Sarina was a still a patient in the hospital and was in the step down unit. Her nurses encouraged us to get out and enjoy the nice weather with her. They suggested to go over to the
stroll. We did, and it was such an uplifting experience. To see all
the families, children, everyone come together, for some reason to
show thanks to the hospital and support each other. I was very
hopeful we also could overcome the hospital experience and one day
look back and say thank you. I went back to the hospital with Sarina
after the stroll and told her how fun that was. I told her, “Chippy,
next year we will make a team for you! With your family and friends
and a big banner just for you! You can sit on my shoulders as we
walk the park and you can show everyone what a brave, strong, and
courageous girl you are!” Well, as you know it didn’t happen
quite as I pictured it. But I kept my promise to Sarina to have a
team for her.

Its hard to believe that was 9 years ago. I remember everything like it
happened yesterday. But at the same time, I feel like I have been
living with this pain for 100 years. Our new normal is nothing like
I ever pictured it. Still to this day, we have people from the
hospital reaching out and remembering Sarina and our family. We were
there for so long. They took care of our baby with such kind and
loving hearts. Sarina’s hospital family became our family as well.
 You spend many days and nights with the staff taking care of your
baby, all the emotions and all the feelings, they see it all. 
We could not asked for a better team of people to help us through
everything.  We are forever grateful for everyone at the
Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Thank you for all your continued love and support!!

Andraya, Chris, Jackson, Joey, and Angel Sarina