His fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, is riding to raise money for people with disabilities. It’s called the Journey of Hope and it is put on by The Ability Experience, a non-profit owned and operated by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. For 20-year-old Chris Downs, it’s personal.
“I am definitely lucky to be alive,” Downs told CBS4 Health Specialist Kathy Walsh.
Walsh first met Downs in 1995. He was 3 weeks old and his parents“miracle.” Downs was born with a rare birth defect, a diaphragmatic hernia which is a hole in his diaphragm. His intestines had pushed up into his chest.
Back in 1995, pediatric surgeon Dr. Jack Chang said, “Across the board, it’s about 75 percent mortality rate.”
Baby Chris had surgery. For 11 days at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center (PSL), a machine did the job of his heart and lungs. His parents, Syd and Teresa Downs, were by his side and shared buttons with staff that said “I believe in miracles.”