Packard Children’s nurse Tiffany Jorgenson, RN, has a lot to celebrate. In June, she will mark 10 years of Scamper-ing in honor of her cousin, Priscilla, who is an active, joyful teenager thanks to the care she received at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.
Diagnosed as a baby with a small ventricular septal defect, Priscilla underwent heart surgery at age 1. Then she had a cochlear implant to improve her hearing at 18 months. Seeing the love and compassion that the hospital’s staff showered on Priscilla inspired Jorgenson to become a nurse, working in the medical/surgical transplant unit at Packard Children’s.
When Jorgenson first heard about Summer Scamper, she thought it would be a great way to gather friends and colleagues and have fun while giving back to the hospital. “Priscilla was only 4 at the time,” she says. “Now she is 14, which is so crazy.”
Today, Priscilla attends school in Fremont and returns to Packard Children’s for routine cardiac check-ups and echocardiograms. “She brings a lot of joy to everyone she meets,” Jorgenson says. “She always has a big smile on her face.”
Team Priscilla—composed of 10 to 20 members—is not the largest team at Summer Scamper, but it has become a fundraising powerhouse. Although they’re participating virtually this year, they will still raise funds and wear their T-shirts on race day. In the past nine years, Jorgenson has raised $90,000 for the Betty Irene Moore Children’s Heart Center at Packard Children’s, and she aims to surpass $100,000 this year.
“My favorite part is Priscilla being able to participate. Team Priscilla wouldn’t be here without her and without her experience,” Jorgenson says.
“Seeing the patients out there who have been treated—and some of them are patients who I have cared for in the hospital—makes everyone feel good about what we’re doing.”
Since Summer Scamper started in 2011, Scamper-ers have raised more than $3.7 million to support patients and families at Packard Children’s and the maternal and child health programs at Stanford University School of Medicine. It is the hospital’s largest community fundraising event of the year.
Jorgenson first tried the 5k and moved on to the 10k course. “I try to stay really fit year-round,” she says. “I make sure I do whichever race I commit to. I can run for an hour; it’s the least I can do to do my part.”
Virtual Summer Scamper will be Sunday, June 21 (or any day in June that works for you!). On June 21, we will host online activities for you to participate in and share your Scamper pride. To register or form a team with your colleagues, friends, and family, visit SummerScamper.org.
