Rebekah G Leithren Park Dedication

The Park Dedication for Rebekah was a wonderful event. It was attended by friends, family, neighbors and some of the medical staff who took care of Rebekah at A. I. DuPont Hospital for Children. Also in attendance was State Representative William A. Oberle and his wife Sally, New Castle County Council President Paul Clark, General Manager for Special Services at New Castle County, Rich Przywara and Nellie Manlove, Representative Karen Venezky's assistant. Sorely missed was Representative Karen Venezky who had prior commitments. We are so grateful to Karen without whom this day would not have been possible. I understand that she is not running for office again this fall. We wish her well and want her to know that she is leaving some big shoes to fill.

This park meant so much to Rebekah. It was her refuge from all of her medical procedures. It was a place where she could be a "normal" child and a place where she would always greet new families coming to use the park and joyfully play with their children. It didn't matter what their ages were. She loved little children and they loved her back. It is fitting that this park now bears her name.

Rich Przywara presented the family with an exact miniature replica of the sign in the park that bears her name. The funny thing is that they made it for us not knowing how close to the park we lived. They wanted us to have it to be able to see daily even if we couldn't make it to the park. We live right across from the park sign. We really appreciate the gift and the thoughfulness behind it. It now stands in a mini memorial garden in our living room.

Bill Oberle presented the family with a Memoriam from the State House of Representatives for Rebekah.

Her friends shared about how much they miss Rebekah and how good a friend she was. One young man who didn't even know except through what he heard from her friends wished he had known her and said "12 year old kids just shouldn't die and if I could I would bring her back right now!" Another friend summed things up by saying, "You know, Bekah said she had half a heart, but to me she had a heart and a half." Her sister Chris shared her thoughts and feelings about Bekah and now she was not just a sister but a best friend. Bekah's oldest sisters also talked about how Rebekah impacted their lives through her courage and spunk.

Dr. Gina Baffa, Rebekah's Cardiologist, and Chief Cardiologist at A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children also shared some of her memories of Rebekah. She also expounded on the disease PLE, that ultimately took Rebekah's life and the need for research to understand the cause of this disease so a cure may be found. Dr. Baffa is one of our five medical board of advisors. She had a special bond with Rebekah during the course of her treatments and we have become very fond of her. We congratulate her again on her recent marriage and wish her and her husband all the best.

The event was the first public announcement of the Rebekah G. Leithren Foundation and literature was handed out. Some in attendance made contributions.
The event was capped off with Bekah's walk. A walk around the block that Rebekah made every day until she went in for her heart transplant.

We would like to thank New Castle County Parks and Recreation for all of their hard work in searing heat to prepare the park for this event. It looked great! I would also like to thank Nellie Manlove for being the point person in making sure everything was done on time and for having the patience with me.

Mike Leithren

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