Kathy Hettel’s - Blues for Babies
For Joshua Schmitz
Blue is the color of life, the crisp taste of fresh water and the limitless boundary of imaginations sky. Blues for Babies is an attempt to help fund efforts to guarantee that all children born with congenital diseases live to know the wonders of what we take for granted. The Children - This benefit festival’s focus is on the needs of children
born with congenital diseases that are largely overlooked and underfunded. Many children are born with and die from both well known diseases each year, yet many rare conditions receive little attention and even less funding. The money Blues for Babies raises is targeted at funding research for some of these through reputable charities that focus on these specific diseases. The founder - Dr. Kathy Hettel is a medical doctor who practiced medicine at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett in the inpatient rehabilitation unit as medical director. Rehabilitating the injured was her devotion as it could not be a part time effort. It required 100% dedication and 24hr commitment to the lives of her patients and their families. It was some 15 years into her carrier that she accepted the calling of her other God given talent, singing, and began performing publicly in the Northwest. As a result of addressing the call, she formed the band that would influence the direction of her career as a singer as well lead to the creation of Blues for Babies. The talent and the band took a back seat when she learned that her newborn nephew was diagnosed with the extremely rare congenital disease Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation. The family’s attention quickly turned to Joshua’s young life as a liver transplant was needed to save his life. After waiting for a liver, having one donated and surviving the surgery, the family began the process of healing and recovery for both baby and family. As time passed, it became clear that the surgery was a success, Kathy looked at the medical landscape and found a world of need for children with congenital diseases. With her nephew’s disease clearly on her list of efforts to combat, Dr. Hettel took note of all the other congenital conditions that need research funding. From that research, the list of charities to support was created.
