U.S. Olympic Training Center Resident Athletes Participate in Fundraiser for Colorado Springs Resident

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Last Saturday, Oct. 6, Olympians, Paralympians, and Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls participated in an event to raise funds for a Colorado Springs resident, 10-year-old Kayla Woodhouse, who suffers from a rare nerve disorder.

The two-day event at Mr. Biggs Family Fun Center was hosted by Colorado Springs-based Keller Williams Realty. Athletes made appearances at Saturday's all-day silent auction event at Mr. Biggs, showing their support for the Woodhouse family. Festivities began the night of Friday, Oct. 5, with a special benefit concert by Christian recording artist David Phelps, followed by a live auction.

Kayla Woodhouse suffers from Hereditary Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy (HSAN), a rare nerve disorder in which her body does not signal her brain to regulate body temperature, nor can she feel pain unless it is extremely intense. It is a disease so rare that there are less than twenty known cases worldwide, and she is the only child in the world with her particular form of the disorder.

More recently, Kayla was diagnosed with another rare problem unrelated to her HSAN. After over a year of severe headaches, doctors found a malformation in the lower portion of Kayla's brain. As a result of her brain growing into her spinal column, Kayla underwent brain decompression surgery to avoid long-term damage and paralysis.

The fundraiser served to defray the costs of Kayla's staggering medical bills which started when she first began showing symptoms of HSAN at 14 months. The Woodhouse family has spent the last ten years moving around the United States, searching for answers from the nation's best doctors and living in climates most suitable for Kayla's condition.

"Colorado Springs has always done a great job of supporting Olympic athletes, and it is an honor to be able to give back at an event like this," said modern-pentathlete Eli Bremer, one of the athletes who attended Saturday's event. "I'm glad the community rallied around the Woodhouse family and is showing them so much support."

The U.S. Olympic Committee donated four official Olympic-ring logo flags to Saturday's silent auction. The flags featured signatures of Olympians, Paralympians, and Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls. A fifth autographed flag, as well as U.S. Olympic team apparel, was presented to Kayla and her parents. In total, almost $25,000 has been raised for the Woodhouse family.

USA Swimming has invited the Woodhouses to the 2008 Olympic Team Trials — Swimming, where the U.S. Olympic Swim Team will be chosen. The sport federation learned of Kayla's passion for swimming through a family friend, and will provide round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, and tickets to the event in Omaha, Neb., from June 29-July 1, 2008. In addition, arrangements have been made for Kayla to take an exclusive tour of the U.S. Olympic Training Complex and enjoy a private lunch with two-time Olympic gold medalist, Colorado Springs-based swimmer Lindsay Benko.

The fundraising event was planned in conjunction with the producers of TV's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, who built a brand new custom-designed home for the Woodhouses, unveiled on Sunday, Oct. 7. The episode will air on ABC in January.

For more information, please contact Katrina Chan, USOC Communications Division, (719) 866-4529.