9/2/08 - We hope you will join us for a special Families for HoPE event
this weekend at Anderson Speedway. On Saturday, September 6, Families
for HoPE, Inc. will be honoring driver Josh Timmerman
for his commitment to the organization with a family-friendly tent
located inside the main gate where fans will receive
balloons, prizes, autographs, and more.
Gates open at 5pm.
Admission into the Speedway is $10 for adults, $4 for kids ages 6-12,
and kids 5 and under are free. There are concession stands at the
Speedway, and the prices are very reasonable.
In addition, one of Josh's fans will win a ride around the track in the Speedway pace car. To register for the
drawing, please submit your information at www.JoshTimmerman.com. All names will be entered into a drawing and the winner will be chosen
and contacted on Wednesday, September 3.
We hope to see you at the race on the 6th!
Sammy and Josh at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
9/7/08 - (Written by Steve) There
are times in your life where a moment can define who you are and give insight
into what path your life might take. It cuts so deep into your soul that
you are forever changed and forever you view life much differently.Now, in the past few years I have had several
of these events. The day that we received the prenatal diagnosis of Sammy's
HPE; the day Sam was born; the day Sam passed away; and yesterday, the day that
a 20 year-old young man named Josh Timmerman experienced his first victory of
his racing career.
Josh approached Leslie and me a couple of years ago about
his desire to have his name associated with something worthwhile, something
that would help define who he is as a racecar driver. He said that Sammy
had touched his family, and he wanted to help raise awareness for HPE.Of course, we were honored and thrilled to
have such an opportunity to spread the word about HPE.
Last year, Sammy was able to enjoy three races, and you should
have seen the smile on Sammy's face as he was enjoying the sights, sounds, and
even the dirt and oil flying off the track! Josh didn't have great
success during that season, but it was one where he grew as a driver and learned
so much.This year when the newly-painted
race truck was revealed to family and friends, tears filled my eyes and my heart
swelled with joy to see a memorial tribute to Sammy on the back of the truck.
I was also asked to join the pit crew. Now, many
who know me know I am big guy--built like a house. Football was always my love
but racing has really become so much to me in the past few years. I was
worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with these young guys and that my limited
technical knowledge of racing would deter the team from making the strides and success
they wanted for this year. I was told I was the tire pressure guy!It may not sound like much, but to me, you
would have thought they asked me to drive the truck!
As the season has gone on, I have truly felt like part of
the team, and I have enjoyed each and every week. The past few weeks have been
very frustrating with the truck, and it seemed as if nothing has gone our way—even
last week, we had to pack things up early and couldn't start a race due to
mechanical difficulties.During the
week between races, Josh, his dad and others on the crew did everything they
could to figure out what was going wrong with the truck.
The upcoming race was very important as Anderson Speedway
was allowing Families for HoPE to set up a tent at the track to honor Josh for
his commitment to HPE as well as promote Josh as a driver.This was a big race for all of us, and Josh's
success and reputation were on the line.
While the Families for HoPE volunteers were busy at the
main gate passing out balloons, buttons, and “sharing the HoPE in
HoloProsEncephaly”, the team was diligently working in the pits to make the
truck as competitive as we could. We didn't have the qualification times
we wanted, but everything was looking good.We all felt relaxed and confident—everything just seemed to be clicking.I don't know how Josh was feeling, but I know
he wanted to have a good showing.If he
was nervous, it didn't show.Josh was in
his element signing autographs, meeting his fans, and telling them about Sammy
and HPE.
When it was time for the 40-lap feature race for the
trucks, Josh was on the outside of row two as the race started.As our team watched Josh run his laps, we
could all tell that the truck was handling like it should, and we had the horsepower--now
it was up to Josh and the others on the track. I think it was lap 15 when
Josh took the lead, and for the next few laps, I kept asking God to let Josh
have this one. To let me have this one, to let the team and everyone
involved have this one. We all needed it.
As the laps piled up and Josh pulled farther and farther
away from the rest of the field, I felt pride.The same pride I felt when Sam was born and the pride I felt for all of
the things Sam accomplished in his short life.It was all coming together, and I had a lump in my throat.
At lap 33 of 40, the team headed down toward the start/finish
line as we knew a victory was in sight.I
don't remember much when we were all running down there, except hearing the
track announcer say “And, the winner is Josh Timmerman!”
As Josh emerged from the truck, I thrust my hands in the
air with my fingers pointed to heaven and yelled as loud as I could, "This
one is for you, Sammy!"As Josh was
interviewed over the public address system, he thanked Leslie and me, his
parents and his team and his sponsors.When he announced that the victory was dedicated to Sammy, the cheers
from the crowd were amazing. You would have thought Josh just won a
NASCAR race (that is hopefully in the future)!We have lost many children in our HPE family this year, and it all cuts
so deep into us. On this night, this victory was for them, too!
I went out onto the track, and I immediately hugged Josh
as hard as I could--almost like hugging Sam, because on this night, Josh made
me as proud of him as I was of Sam. Since Sammy passed, I have felt lost
at times.I miss the fellowship and
interaction of us, Sam, the nurses and doctors who made up “Team Sammy Yammy”
as we all ran like a well-oiled machine. As Josh always refers to "we" when
talking about the team, I'm so grateful to be part of another great team.Overall, this night could not have been scripted
any better.Josh drove his heart out,
and he was humble and professional in his acceptance and acknowledgment.
Thank you, Josh, for the victory! This was your defining moment, and
it was a privilege to witness it. Thank you for being the caring man
you are, and for allowing the HPE families to be part of your racing
career. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of a team again and to
find something that I was missing. As Leslie said a few weeks ago,
this year has been a building year to get ready for "09 in '09". As I
used to say about Sam, "Go, Sammy, go!" That torch has been passed to
you, "Go, Josh, go!"
9/16/08 - We want to invite everyone to join us at a special event that
holds a very special memory for us. It is the Timmy Foundation Annual
Wrestling Event and Fundraiser to be held on Sunday, September 28 at
1pm at the Knights of Columbus at 71st & Keystone. (Tickets are
$10 each.)
Sammy was a tiny infant when one of his therapists
mentioned to me that Sammy could be a wrestler one day. As I laughed
at the suggestion, she told me about Dr. Doom (aka Dr. Chuck Dietzen)
who holds an annual wrestling event for children with special
abilities. Little did I know, my Sammy would one day enter the big
wrestling ring in 2007! Below is a video that we shot at his wrestling
debut. In the background, you can hear the announcer reading Sammy's
wrestling name, his stats, his interests, etc.
Today, we
received the flier to advertise for this year's event, and the flier
includes a photo of Sammy and a notation that the 2008 show is held in
loving memory of Sammy!
9/26/08 - There are moments when I have no words to describe my
thoughts and can only shake my head in utter amazement. This week, I
had one of those moments.
I received word that my little Sammy—a boy
who couldn’t walk or talk—will appear on the big screen at the
Heartland Film
Festival, October 16-24. He will appear in the documentary “Auschwitz—If
You Cried, You Died”. I know what you’re thinking, “How in the world did Sammy find his way into a documentary about the
Holocaust?”
Several months before Sammy passed away, I began working
with a graphic designer, Jennifer, to design a logo for Families for
HoPE. During the process, she shared with me that she felt God was
directing her to tell me about another project on which she was
working. Of course, she was probably
a little worried about what I would think, but she bravely posed the
question, “Do you have any interest in the Holocaust?”
In the months prior to her question, I had begun reading a
lot about how the German government in the 1930s instituted euthanasia for the
systematic killing of the mentally and physically disabled. (The secret
operation was code-named "Action T4"—Google it and see for yourself.) Because I had been trying to comprehend how human
beings could come to the common understanding that an entire race of people
should be exterminated, I had begun reading on topics such as Eugenics,
Euthanasia, and Social Darwinism.
Jennifer explained that she was editing a documentary about
the Holocaust which chronicles the journey of two Holocaust survivors as they
revisit Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The documentary which has been distributed to high schools across the U.S.
also addresses the dangers of prejudice, the value of diversity and the need to
respect others. The theme of the
documentary is that “we must learn from the past to protect our future”, and it
addresses topics such as cruelty, bullying, and dehumanization.
There is a segment of the newly-edited version where the viewers
are urged to ask themselves how they treat others based upon
appearance, money, race,
religion and even upon mental handicaps or physical disabilities. Then,
we see Sammy’s cute little face along
with a video clip of Steve and me explaining Sammy’s condition and our
worries of
how our precious little boy might be treated by society as he grows
older.
Back to the question, “How in the world did Sammy find his
way into a documentary about the Holocaust?” God called upon our “imperfect” child to be used in His Perfect Plan by bringing
him into the world not to learn, but to teach.
