Duck Tape Boy

Introducing ... Duck Tape Boy!!!

No, really.

I'm serious.

This is the new face of Duck Tape.

... at least at the Shriner's Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina ...

I just wanted to share with my blog family how excited I am about Jackson's little 15 minutes of fame.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided to write a letter to Duck Tape Brand sharing with them a little about Jackson's condition and how their product impacts both cast waterproofing and decorating fun.  I explained to them how wonderful I thought it would be if they donated a Duck Tape display to the Shriner's "cast room" so that each child in a Mehta cast could choose a patterned Duck Tape for his/her new casts.  Low and behold, last week I received a phone call from the corporate offices of Duck Tape Brand, letting me know that they were DELIGHTED to extend such a donation in Jackson's honor.  A few more phone calls to Shriner's Hospital ... and, it should be well underway at this point!  I am going to be choosing a photograph of Jackson wearing his Duck Tape-covered Mehta cast to send to the "cast room" to hang beside the display for other children to see.  We are so excited about this generosity for such a wonderful cause!  Go Jackson!

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If you are interested ... here is a copy of my letter:

Dear Duck Tape brand,

Moving boxes … wallets … prom dresses – all interesting uses for Duck Tape, but I bet mine is better!  Duck Tape has been one of many unlikely products to be a true “life saver” for my 2-year-old son, Jackson, who was born with a rare and potentially fatal (without treatment) medical condition called Progressive Infantile Scoliosis.  Since he was an infant, Jackson has worn a series of plaster body casts applied by Shriner’s Hospital for Children to straighten his severely deformed spine.  Without Shriner’s, Jackson’s aggressive spinal curvature would have continued to worsen as he grew and would have eventually crushed his internal organs.  The phenomenal news is although Jackson is still undergoing treatment at Shriner’s, his scoliosis curve has decreased from 50 degrees to only 4 degrees!  Obviously, God, incredible orthopedic surgeons, complex tools, and a plethora of medical technology have worked together to make that possible; however, Duck Tape has been there all along the journey as well.

Around Shriner’s Hospital for Children, Jackson is fondly known as “Duck Tape Boy.”  He loves his name.  As you can imagine, keeping a busy toddler completely dry for 6-8 weeks between plaster casts is no easy task.  So, using a little imagination, my husband and I decided to waterproof Jackson’s plaster casts using Duck Tape.  It has worked incredibly well, and the doctors and nurses have been telling other families about our experience with your product.  Before each serial casting, we take Jackson to the store to choose a fun new design for his next cast.  So far, Sponge Bob has definitely been his favorite!

The reason I am sharing our unique story with your company is to ask for your help.  It would be fantastic for other young children undergoing this complex procedure to have both the fun experience and the practical advantage of waterproofing their casts using Duck Tape.  Therefore, I am writing to ask you to consider donating rolls of your patterned Duck Tape to Shriner’s Hospital for Children.  If you are only able to donate to one hospital, I request that it be to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Greenville, South Carolina where Jackson receives his treatment.  You would bring so many smiles to the faces of these brave little ones!

Please contact me if you have any questions or to organize the donation:

[insert info here] 

I have included several photographs of Jackson in his casts wearing your amazing Duck Tape product.  Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jennifer A. Heath