Guild Chapter to Host 2nd Annual Eggs-Stravaganza

For Janine Pettigrew, it’s more than simply a volunteer job.

It’s become a mission for the Bloomingdale mother, a way to honor a child who’s no longer with her and a way to help other parents facing the uncertainty of childhood disease that she faced.

“This has become my passion,” said Pettigrew, co-president of the Brandon Chapter of the All Children’s Hospital Guild. “I have to know my daughter’s life was not in vain.

The family was on vacation in New England when 3-year-old Jillian Pettigrew suddenly became ill in 2003.

“She got this terrible cough and her stomach was swollen,” said Janine Pettigrew. “I was scared to death. I didn’t know what was wrong with her.”

They took her to Boston Children’s Hospital where the diagnosis was a disease Pettigrew had never even heard of, much less had any idea that her daughter had a genetic predisposition for the disease.

“It’s called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis,” Pettigrew said. “It’s a blood disease that attacks the immune system.”

Pettigrew described the months following the diagnosis “a living nightmare.” “We lived at the Ronald McDonald House, doing whatever it took to make my daughter better.”

But, despite their best efforts, the little girl succumbed to the illness.

For the next four years, Pettigrew, wracked with grief and guilt, lived in an alcohol-induced fog.

“Then I finally had enough,” she said. “I went to an AA meeting and surrendered myself one day. The very next day, I found out I was pregnant at the age of 42.”

The birth of Cariss Pettigrew four years ago was the impetus Pettigrew needed to turn her life around.

“When I finally came out on the other side,” said Pettigrew, “I realized there so many people I needed to thank for their support. And I realized I had to do something to give back.”

The guild, she said, allows her to do that in a way that honors her daughter’s memory.

“All Children’s Specialty Care of Brandon is a wonderful facility,” said Pettigrew. “It allows parents to get needed tests and treatment for their children right here in Brandon, instead of traveling to the hospital in Pinellas County.”

Prior to the interview, Pettigrew had taken Cariss to the Brandon facility on Parsons Avenue to have her blood tested for the disease that claimed the life of Jillian.

“It didn’t even hurt,” said the precocious preschooler, displaying the Band-Aid on her arm. “They sprayed something on my arm to freeze it so I couldn’t feel the needle.”

These days, Pettigrew, with Cariss at her side, is working tirelessly on the chapter’s upcoming fundraiser.

The Egg-Stravanganza was a big success last year and the chapter is hoping for an even bigger turnout at this year’s event scheduled for April 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at All Children’s Specialty Care of Brandon, 885 S. Parsons Ave., Brandon.

“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Pettigrew. “We invite local companies to come and showcase their businesses, and we give tours of the facility to people can see everything that goes on there.”

In addition to the vendor fair, the event includes an all-you-can-eat brunch, an Easter egg hunt, photos with the Easter bunny, children’s activities, a bounce house, a silent auction and live music.

Pettigrew noted that the guild, composed of nine chapters, has raised $4 million for a 97-bed neonatal intensive care unit in St. Petersburg, one of the largest in the Southeast United States. Locally, the Brandon chapter also raises funds to meet whatever needs All Children’s Specialty Care of Brandon might have.

Recently, the chapter held a bunco fundraiser at The Bridges in Riverview, raising $2,600.

“The generosity of the people was incredible,” said Pettigrew. “We had our children create works of art with the therapists at the center. We then sold them at the fundraiser.”

Pettigrew is hoping people are equally generous at the upcoming fundraiser.

“There are just too many sick kids that need facilities like this,” she said. “It’s incredible to have a facility like this right in our own community.”

Pettigrew is currently seeking vendors, sponsors and donations for the upcoming Egg-Stravaganza.

Anyone interested in participating can contact Pettigrew at 813-484-1500.