Serena Harper Smith was born on March 18, 1998 with a broken clavicle.  Later we found out that she has Brachial Plexus Injury, which is an injury of the nerves that conduct signals from the spine to the arm and hand, causing the muscles in the arm and hand to move.  Serena's arm and hand nerves have been damaged, leaving her left arm shorter and smaller than her right.  Her arm stays in a bent position across her stomach and she needs assistance to use her hand.

     Serena is eligible for a surgery that will straighten her arm and allow her to develop use of her arm through therapy.  The optimal place for this surgery is with specialists in Texas.  Serena and her family will be traveling there in either June or July of this year.

     Serena is a very vibrant little girl with a big personality.  She enjoys singing and clapping with the church choir.  In fact she likes singing so much that it is possible she would like to perform with the band!  She loves her school; she attends a Head Start program in Country Club Hills.  She also enjoys working with her therapists at the University of Chicago.

     This benefit is to help Serena's family cover the costs of her surgery and later therapy.  Your donations will be placed in a trust for Serena's future medical expenses.
 

For more information about Brachial Plexus Injury please visit the following sites:  www.childrenshospital.org   and
www.ubpn.org  (united brachial plexus network).