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The Project Christine Story
Christine Marie Tipsord was born on December 29, 1998 and passed away on September 20, 2002, three months shy of her fourth birthday. Christine had a spirit that touched those around her, endearing her to them and leaving them with a smile, a warm memory and almost always, a funny story to tell. In August of 2002, a headache prompted a visit to her pediatrician. A few days later, it was confirmed that Christine had a very rare malignant brain tumor. Pediatric neurosurgeons at Johns Hopkins removed the tumor, but the damage was too great. Although Christine fought hard, her body was not able to recover and she became an angel just a little over a month after her diagnosis. She left behind her parents, Dan and Susan Tipsord, and her big sister, Allison. Out of shock, tears, anger, disbelief and the strong desire to help other families who find themselves in the same situation, Dan and Susan formed the not-for-profit fund Project Christine with the help of the Community Foundation of Frederick County.
The Tipsords considered themselves very blessed to have had the loving support of their family, friends, and community to help them deal with the loss of their daughter. They also understood that without this support, their recovery would be seriously delayed or even impaired. One of the most difficult situations they faced was helping their older daughter, Allison, deal with the impact of losing her sister. Allison was just seven when Christine became an angel and helping her to understand and work through her grief was a huge priority for Dan and Susan. In helping Allison, they quickly learned that helping surviving siblings recover was one of the most difficult challenges parents in their situation would face. Out of this realization, Project Christine was born.
Project Christine provides materials and resources, including books, workbooks, and grief kits to equip grieving parents with the needed tools to help their surviving children. For various reasons, many families do not have access to the resources that helped the Tipsords, including but not limited to the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center Child Life Department, Hospice of Frederick County, Maryland, and the many physicians, therapists and health care professionals who took the time and energy to help them each step of the way. Soon after their daughter’s death, Dan and Susan realized that facilitating Allison’s recovery greatly helped them to navigate their own journey through the grief process. The Project Christine Fund is dedicated to two purposes:
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