Abrielle Neff Foundation

Monday, August 11, 2008

Taking On Gentry County

This weekend we worked on pulling out animals and coloring books to send to the hospital in Albany. They are just guessing at numbers and think between 50 and 75 will do them. We plan on getting this donation to them this week and will see how long it lasts them. We are excited to be able to help bring comfort to the kids in Gentry County too. Hopefully the program will be as successful there as it has been at St Francis.

I also wanted to mention to keep using GoodSearch. We are already over $115! I just think this is such an easy way to make money for the Foundation just by one extra click.

We are looking at the end of the month for bagging...probably either the 29th or 30th.

~Brenda

Friday, August 8, 2008

A Gift in Memory

Yesterday the Foundation received 50 stuffed animals from the dentist office of Dr. Brian Vierthaler. The donation was in memory of Katherine Steiner, infant daughter of Doug and Kathy Steiner. We plan on inserting an additional card into these bags stating they were donated in her memory. We will only give a few of these a month to the hospital that way her memorial is continued for several months. What an honor it was to receive these animals. Please keep the Steiner family in your prayers.
~Brenda

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Back to School Time

It's that time of year when everyone is full of excitement and anticipation as school is about to begin for the year. Everyone is running around gathering school supplies and new clothes. Unfortunatly in our household the excitement is accompanied by tears. As I went to register Madyson today, I was hoping for a quick in and out because I didn't know how long my smiles would last. I made it back to the car before the tears started. Abrielle should be starting kindergarten this year. She would be 5.

The week has been hard with everything just building, especially after the accident. We spent the weekend at Becci's and it still feels like we are leaving Abby behind anytime we go somewhere. There were tears as we were leaving and even more tears when we came back home. We always have to stop by the cemetery to tell her goodbye before we leave and go see her as soon as we get home. I know this probably seems strange to some people, but it's the only way I can be gone. We did have a good time with the girls but as I was looking back thru the pictures we took, I noticed something strange. Every picture we took of the girls together, there is a gap in between them. It was not intentional but looked so symbolic, like it was space for Abby. I don't think I would have even noticed it, but it was every picture.

This is one of the pictures of the girls at the Children's Zoo.

~Brenda

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Abby's Hugs is Expanding!

Currently the Abby's Hugs program mainly serves St. Francis Hospital, but that is about to change. We have been in contact with the hospitals in both Fairfax and Albany and are ready to grow. Fairfax is currently receiving coloring books and crayons/markers/colored pencils. Albany is now ready to begin the entire program! I spoke with the hospital today and they will be getting me an average number of kids so we know how many animals to take them. I will let everyone know when we make our first donation.

~Brenda

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Back to Business

Let me start by saying I am ok. Thanks to all for checking on me. It was a very emotional day for our family...not enough time has passed and the wreckage was just too similar. There are pictures and a story in today's paper. I did not like them mentioning the money settlement. Not everyone knows how that works. At $1.00 a month to the Foundation, I am sure we will never see the full amount of money, but that was not the point. We just want him to have to write her name every month for the rest of his life as a reminder. I also really feel for the other driver. Accidents happen and it's not like either one of us intended for this to occur.

In donation news, the Foundation received $300 from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. They currently have a special promotion that anyone refinancing their home can choose a charity for the company to donate $300 to. Tom and Dana Parker chose us!

~Brenda

Monday, August 4, 2008

Flashback

Today I had planned on a different message than what I am posting, but life has a way of changing our plans. This morning I was on my way to the post office for work (no girls with me thankfully) when another vehicle failed to stop at a stop sign. The impact was on the front passenger side and down the side into Elly's door. The airbags deployed and I am sure my vehicle is totalled. I keep saying I need to lose some weight, but somehow I was skinny enough to squeeze out my door with it only open a crack with the help of two ladies. The wreckage of my white expedetion reminded me so much of the wreck 16 months ago. I was a basket case at the scene but have no major physical injuries to speak of. I am on crutches due to trama to my right leg but they said it is not broken. We were told the other driver will be okay also and I truly hope that is the case. I just had no plans on ever reliving the nightmare as vividly as I did today. I know my Abby was watching over me and keeping her Mommy safe. I don't care about my vehicle, they are not important. It will just be an inconvience for a while. I am concerned about Madyson. I am not sure how she will react to all of this again. I know how I felt and am so afraid her nightmares will be back in full force. She still freaks out if she cannot sit in the middle of the seat and will not sit next to a door.
No more white expeditions for us :)
~Brenda

Friday, August 1, 2008

More Donations!

I attended the last night of Power Lab Vacation Bible School at the First Christian Church to pick up donations. I didn't take the time to count last night, but there were lots! We were given everything from stuffed animals to ziplocs to crayons to stickers. We just continue to be overwhelmed by the public support we recieve. We so appreciated the donation and know the kids that receive them will too. It came at a perfect time too since St Francis ER called in need of more. We took most of the summer off from bagging since everyone's schedules were so busy, but are going to have to bag soon because our room is getting full of animals.
~Brenda

Our Story...

Abrielle came into this world in a hurry to get started, which gave us our first glimpse at her personality. Not waiting on Dr Jane to put on gloves, only a towel to catch her with, she weighed in at six pounds fifteen ounces. From the beginning Abby had reflux, but there seemed to more than just that as she failed to gain weight. At four months we were sent to draw all kinds of labs, hoping for a solution, but all was normal. By six months of age, the vomiting became worse, almost nightly. We were keeping records of every calorie she ate, every dirty diaper, and every time she vomited. By this time Abby was refusing to eat supper most nights and would throw up her undigested lunch after bathtime at 8:00. Her food was just sitting in her tummy all day. Dr Watson sent us to Omaha Childrens Hospital to Dr Zapata a pediatric gastroenterologist to help diagnois the problem. There, over the next year and a half of her life, Abby underwent testing, treatments, and outpatient procedures. During every procedure she was given a stuffed animal to hold for comfort, even though she had Blankie with her.
To make a long story short, after the accident we discovered St Francis Hospital did not have a program like this for kids and Abby's Hugs was born.

That Tragic Day...

Thursday, March 29, 2007, began like any other school day in our household with the only exception being that it was Abby's sharing day at preschool. We had a rule that if the sharing item was not picked out the night before (which it usually wasn't), Abby had to be ready for school before she could find something to take. This morning was just like most ... nothing was picked out the night before. She hurried faster than usual that way she would have time to find something. After brushing her teeth, she ran to her room to find some clothes. I always tried to give Abby choices, but she was down to her last clean pair of capris. I gave her the option of wearing those, a pair of Gymboree Fruit Punch capris with a bright yellow shirt or jeans and a purple kitty shirt. She decided on the capri outfit which she had actually rejected every other day that week. After getting dressed, she went into Sissy's room and was playing with her LeapPad when I found her. I asked her how she wanted her hair fixed and she said "little pony". (Not that she was going to leave it in anyway) I helped her onto the sink and she dug through her basket of hair things until she found a yellow one. We went into the living room so I could sit down to brush her hair. Since sitting on my lap was now impossible, Abby stood in front of me as I pulled her hair up with the little yellow hair tie. She ran to her room and began looking for something to bring for sharing. She came out with her Little People's Noah's Ark set stuffed full of extra toys. Being a mean Mommy, I said, You can only bring one toy. Aww, was the response as she took the ark back to her room to look for something else. I went on about my routine of making my lunch and everything else to be ready to leave for work. Mady and I headed out to the Expedition and Abby was not following behind. I went back inside to find her and Marc on their way from her room with her big "bobbycat" (bobcat skidloader) for sharing. They had been looking for the scoop that attaches to the front but ran out of time. They decided that just the bobbycat would work. Marc helped buckle Abby in her car seat. Because she was so small we still used the 5-point harness and not just the seatbelt so she required some help. As we left the house, Marc pulled out ahead of the girls and I onto the gravel road. Just around the first set of curves past our house, I slowed down so we could watch the turkeys fly across the road. I am not sure if Abby saw them or not, but she said she did. We continued on, oblivious to our fate that lie ahead.

last added to 10/29 ...this I will add to as I am able ...thanks for understanding.

The Sentence

On June 25, 2008, Ryan C Sundermann was sentenced to 6 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections on charges of involuntary manslaughter. Sundermann wrecklessly caused the death of Abrielle Neff in a motor vehicle collision on March 29, 2007. Sundermann was charged with failing to maintain proper control of his vehicle, failure to drive on the right half of the roadway and operated a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol.
Sundermann was previously convicted of Driving While Intoxicated and Failure to Drive on the Right Half of the Roadway on April 25, 2006 and sentenced to 2 years probation, 12 days in jail, and a $300 fine. On December 19, 2006, Sundermann was again convicted of Excessive Blood Alcohol Content-Prior Offender which he received a Suspended Execution of Sentence of 180 days, was continued on 2 years probation and received a fine.