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WEST VALLEY CITY — Dakota Bennett came into the world exceptionally early.
He was born at 26 weeks, and as such experienced significant health problems from a very young age.
"I was back and forth with different emotions," said his mother, Shanna Addis, who was 19 years old at the time. "The first two years were kind of rough."
Addis' much-anticipated baby endured too many surgeries to count beginning at just 2 days old. Through it all, Addis said she continued to hope her boy, the first of two, would have a healthy, happy life despite the difficulties.
Bennett, now 19, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and didn't have control of the muscles in his left leg. Doctors at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Salt Lake City have performed countless surgeries to help straighten and strengthen his leg, but until recently, Bennett couldn't put his heel to the ground.
"The surgeries can be scary at first, but it gets easier with each one," he said, adding that he doesn't let his disability get to him.
Thanks to the "miracles performed there," Addis said Bennett will participate in a 1.5-mile walk Saturday to benefit the hospital that helped him regain mobility and lead a relatively normal life.
Bennett's team, called "Team Dakota — 19 Years Strong," has raised nearly $600 to give back to Shriners, and it will be joined by hundreds of other walkers and donors, including many of the hospital's current patients, some of whom use walkers, canes and wheelchairs to get around.
Stacie Scott/Deseret News
"Our patients have been amping up for this. We want them to feel a sense of accomplishment as they finish," said Dawn Wright, public relations manager for the local hospital.
Shriners got its start in the 1920s providing care to children with polio. Its mission has grown out of a desire to help children regain mobility lost because of various orthopedic conditions — to get kids walking and playing again, Wright said.
"We have a goal to keep kids mobile and help them reach as full a potential as possible," she said.
Shriners has 5,000 active patients in the Intermountain region, either receiving inpatient care or attending routine follow-up visits with doctors to monitor their conditions. The local hospital, one of 22 in the Shriners network throughout the country, spends $10 million to $12 million annually on uncompensated patient care.
To recoup a small portion of that endowment, the hospital is sponsoring its inaugural Walk for Love on Saturday. The event aims to not only raise money for ongoing efforts helping local children, but increase awareness of the hospital, as many don't even know it is there or what it offers.
The local facility is nestled in the Avenue's foothills at 1275 E. Fairfax Road.
Registration opens at 9 a.m. Saturday, with opening ceremonies to follow. The 1.5-mile walk begins on 11th Avenue at 10:20 a.m. The hospital's quarterly gathering and summer party will follow for walk participants, offering food, pony rides, rock climbing, a teddy bear rescue clinic, carnival-style games and more. Wright said various "superheroes" will also make an appearance.
The event coincides with the hospital's 90th anniversary of providing quality charitable care to Utah kids — "a long legacy considering we've never turned anyone away based on their inability to pay and only recently leveraging insurance if a family has it," Wright said.
He doesn't really complain. He just takes it as it comes. He's taught me to be stronger, to get up and do what you have to do.
–Shanna Addis, Dakota's mother
Addis said her family is excited to give back to an organization that gave so much to them and to other kids who wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to be as mobile as they are with the help of experienced doctors and researchers there.
"I don't know where he'd be without Shriners," Addis said of her son. "I don't know if he'd be walking or not. I know he wouldn't be where he's at now."
While he's missed out on playing some of the sports he loves, Bennett doesn't resent his childhood, some of which was spent dealing with intense pain. He knows all the surgeries, braces, casts and physical therapy was making him into who he is today.
"He doesn't really complain. He just takes it as it comes," Addis said. "He's taught me to be stronger, to get up and do what you have to do."
To donate to Dakota's team or others — with all proceeds going to the hospital — visit www.walkforlove.org.
Bennett has graduated high school and is working a full-time job at a fast food restaurant. He's not really certain what's next for him, but he has talked about maybe becoming an emergency medical technician someday, among other things.
He walks every day to strengthen his leg, and he knows accomplishing his dreams might take some effort — just like the 1.5-mile walk Saturday might as well.
