Bixby's "Beat The Heat" was Bill's Choice
at the 2004 Car & Bike Show.

See more of the show HERE

The Reason.......Bill Campbell

Bill was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome at the age of 3. This was at a time when we thought his medical problems were improving. Bill was a premature baby, born at 28 weeks and weighing 2 lbs. 10 oz. He battled ventilators, monitors, gavage tubes, 3 surgeries, a severe gag reflex and non-stop IV's, all before 6 months of age. He was 6 1/2 months old before he was strong enough to leave the hospital and come home with his family.

By the age of 3, he was finally eating orally (he had a feeding tube in his stomach) and walking. His bouts with pneumonia were less frequent and we thought the health problems were starting to become a thing of the past. On a routine check up, a geneticist saw him and asked if he had Marfan syndrome. We had never heard of Marfan before and the geneticist explained what he could and then scheduled Bill for a physical with the genetics department. And so, here we are.

Bill has frequent check-ups on his heart, specifically his aorta. It is dilated to the point he takes medication to slow down the advancement. He is a future candidate for aorta replacement. He has a severe pectus excavatum that measures less than an inch from breastbone to spine at the deepest point. He is very thin and has loose joints that require him to wear leg braces to support his ankles. In January 2003, he was diagnosed with bronchiectasis, which is deterioration of the lungs caused by recurrent infections. Several areas of his lungs are affected and are not functioning. This cannot be repaired but by reducing the frequency of infections, progression of the bronchiectasis can be reduced or even stabilized. Bill has frequent pulmonary doctor visits and takes several breathing meds a day. His pulmonary doctor believes his bronchiectasis is a direct result of Marfan syndrome, but to date I haven't been able to find the correlation in anything I have read.

Bill is now 16 years old and doing well. He is my hero. He loves cars, trucks, motorcycles, golf carts and anything with wheels and a motor. There is no cure-all for Bill's health problems. The Motoring for Marfan car show was brought to fruition to honor Bill, while allowing family and friends the opportunity to do something to help him and others affected by Marfan syndrome. All proceeds from the car show are donated to the National Marfan Foundation.