Fundraising events honor Trace Knight
Rickey Henderson jersey auctioned
Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson signed a jersey that was raffled on to raise money on behalf of Team Trace. Left to right are Ashley Knight, Henderson, Walt Mccreary, Daryl Knight, Whitney Willis, Billy Willis, and Georgeanne Mccreary. In front is Peyton Mccreary.
Team Trace helps in the fight against pediatric congenital heart disease with Feb. 16 event By Jack Shaum My Eastern Shore, Maryland
WYE MILLS--An event is being held in Easton this month to raise money for medical research to help children with pediatric congenital heart disease.
The Feb. 16 event, called Heart to Heart Cocktail Pairing Dinner, is the latest in a series of fundraisers inspired by the story of little Trace Knight of Wye Mills who put up a valiant fight against pediatric congenital heart disease but lost that battle last June at the age of three.
Kenneth Daryl "Trace" Knight III and his twin sister Maddie were born to Ashley and Daryl Knight on March 26, 2009. It was apparent within the first hours after their birth that while Maddie was healthy, something was wrong with Trace, his father wrote in an account of the family's story.
"After three days we met with Trace's doctors and were told he had Shone's Complex," Daryl wrote. "Shone's Complex is a rare congenital heart disease which can consist of up to four left heart defects. You can be diagnosed with Shone's but not have all four defects present. However, Trace had all four defects."
Trace was taken to the Children's National Medical Center in Washington where he spent a large part of his short life undergoing treatment that included 14 surgeries including five open heart procedures.
However, three days after the most recent open heart operation, Trace died on June 18, 2012.
"Our goal is to continue Trace's legacy, help others to avoid such a hard life and honor his life forever," Daryl wrote in his account.
The family and a number of relatives and friends have created "Team Trace," which is partnering with one of Trace's physicians at Children's Medical Center. Dr. Joshua Kanter is conducting research to design a new artificial mitral heart valve that could make a difference in such cases in the future.
"It has been hard getting Team Trace set up at the same time as we are trying to heal from the loss of Trace, our son," his father said. "Team Trace would not have been launched without the help and support of the Eastern Shore community, close friends, and our family."
That the community has risen to the challenge is reflected in the fact that raffles and auctions held since Trace's death have succeeded in raising almost $50,000.
"It shows this island has lots of support, which we all know," said Walt Mccreary, who is helping to lead the effort. "It's like any time someone's in crisis, the people here on the island definitely step up."
That includes business owners like Billy Willis of Willis Auto and Tire, who is Trace's uncle, Bob Wilson of Red Eye's Dock Bar, Dereck Janes of the Tidewater Inn, Whitney Willis of Whit's End Salon and Spa, who is Trace's aunt, Walt Thompson and the Hilton Garden Inn, Alexis Thomas of Thomas Associates, and Steele Dilling of Steele's Heating and Air Conditioning, Daryl said.
Mccreary, who is in the trade show business, is devoting most of his time outside of work to Team Trace because "kids are our lifeline and there are a lot of sick kids out there and they need our help."
He has connections in the sports world and has obtained signed jerseys and other sports memorabilia to be auctioned off. One of the items was a jersey signed by baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson who Mccreary calls his closest friend and who came to Queen Anne's County to draw the winning ticket at an auction.
Among the items that will be raffled off at the Feb. 16 event is a Hall of Fame Guitar made by PRS Guitars and which, at last check, had been signed by at least 25 sports figures including Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Jr., Jim Rice, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, and Barry Sanders.
Raffle tickets are $20 and can be obtained at several of the supporting businesses or by emailing Mccreary at shadowrunner24@gmail.com
The Heart to Heart Cocktail Pairing Dinner will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Tidewater Inn in Easton. It will feature a five-course dinner, open bar, and live auction. Tickets are $100 per person and semi-formal attire is required.
For information email team.trace@yahoo.com or visit Facebook at Team Trace or log onto www.teamtrace.org
Other events are being planned later in the year including a golf outing in June in Queenstown, Mccreary said.