Time for Tie-Dye!

On Sept. 28th, the WRMS faculty dressed in Tie-Dye to support Ms. Wells, and to raise funds for her heart transplant. 

Ms. Wells is a para educator on the S.W.A.T. team. She was born with a heart condition called Congenital Heart Defect (CHD) which means that the left and right sides of her heart were switched to be at the top and bottom. In addition to that, she had a small hole in her heart that made it so she could get oxygen to her lungs. She had her first heart surgery when she was one day old. They made the hole bigger so that she would be able to grow to the standard to be able to have the second surgery to fix her heart even more. Then when she was in 8th grade, she had her first pacemaker placed to help her heart beat steadily. Since then, she has had two pacemakers and four defibrillators implanted on her heart. 

As an adult, she has had one major surgery, and has had to take a lot of medication to keep her heart beating. However, over the summer she found out that her heart was not doing well, and that she requires a heart transplant.

While she was in Nebraska visiting specialized doctors, Mrs. Casey, the science teacher on the S.W.A.T. team, organized a fundraiser to help her pay for the expenses. With the fundraiser they organized a “Tie-Dye” day for her. Ms. Wells said, “Everyone who knows me knows that my favorite color is tie-dye, and it was so awesome to come to work and see all the people who support me as I go through this crazy time. In a funny twist, I just happened to wear tie-dye that day myself!” The fundraiser helps pay for Ms.Wells’s doctors appointments. “I have to say seeing the WRMS community rally behind me with a visual representation was incredibly moving. I am very lucky to work here with such amazing and caring people.”