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| Savannah |
Savannah “Lady” Childers is a typical 13 year old girl. She would rather be with her friends than her mom most of the time, blast her music at extreme volume and like most teenagers she has a passion for music and especially her idol Kid Rock. But if you’re reading this story and expecting it to be a light-hearted tale of teenage music angst you will be disappointed. You see, unlike most teenager girls Savannah cannot tell you about her passion, or sing along to the songs she loves. She cannot dance around the floor on her own two feet, or jump up and down or talk about her love of music as she is non-verbal. For Savannah each day is a constant struggle filled with enteral feedings, breathing treatments, a daily medication routine and confinement to a wheelchair.
When Savannah was born doctors told her mother Katrice not to expect her to live long. Born with a condition known as Chromosomal Deletion Syndrome, or more commonly called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, the condition results in seizures, marked muscle weakness, distinct facial appearance, congenital heart defects and growth and mental retardation.
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Mother sings to her daughter
on her 13th birthday | |
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The fact Savannah has survived to be a teenager is a tribute to the love and determination of her mother. Katrice is quick to point out though how Savannah saved her life. At a crossroads in her own life when Savannah was born, her baby’s special needs impacted Katrice and made her realize she had to make changes in order to be the mother Savannah needed if she were to survive. While the struggle which laid ahead for the young mother and child were daunting to say the least, it has been a journey of joy and happiness for the pair. A happiness with music as a central theme in their lives. Katrice’s joy of music and singing has passed on to her daughter. “Savannah is never in a bad mood,” says Katrice “except for when the music is turned off.” Savannah’s favorite artist happens to be Kid Rock. “As long as the music is playing she (Savannah) is happy,” says Katrice “and when Kid Rock comes on the radio or TV her good mood only gets better.”
For Savannah, Kid Rock is one of the few things that can take away the struggles of daily life - if even for just a few moments.
When Kid Rock announced the cities he will be playing during his current tour Katrice knew she had a new mission in life - not only to take her teenage daughter to her first concert but also for Savannah to actually meet Kid Rock. The pathway to the stars though is rarely an easy one and finding the right person to connect with to enable her daughter to meet the Detroit rocker has not been easy. Using Facebook, Katrice has created a page (
Savannah Wants To Meet Kid Rock) devoted to gathering “Likes” to help her impress the powers that be at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Charlotte to grant her wish for her daughter to meet the star.
You can do your part to help Savannah by doing two simple things - first, visit her page on Facebook and “Like” it and second, be sure to "Share" the page so that others can also see it. You can also share and tweet this blog article by clicking the icons directly below this story. Katrice hopes to get a 1000 “Likes” but knowing the generosity of the local live music scene I’m sure that number could be much higher. Liking Savannah’s page won’t cost you a dime but you will get the satisfaction of knowing a simple little click on a Facebook page might encourage someone in Kid Rock’s inner circle to make a little girls heart glow with joy.
