Dublin couple Sam and Melissa Steinberg lost their infant daughter, Cameron, to a heart condition and turned their tragedy into an opportunity by creating a foundation to honor Cameron. Last year, they started a golf fundraiser to raise money for research on congenital heart defects.
Cameron was born on Sept. 24, 2018, with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), which meant she had only half of a functioning heart. She spent much of her life on and off of breathing tubes and other medical equipment, often in the presence of her loving and committed family. Cameron passed away about nine weeks after being born.
“While we were in the hospital, there was a lot of time in the ICU just sitting with her,” Sam says. “Certain things were immensely helpful.”
One especially helpful organization was Ronald McDonald House, which gave the family a place to stay. They also received a special care package from another family that had been through their same situation.
The Steinbergs started the Cameron Steinberg Foundation following the loss of their daughter with the aim of making an impact on others affected by HLHS. Last year, the foundation organized the Cameron Steinberg Foundation Golf Classic in Dublin, which raised over $28,000 for congenital heart defect research.
This year the family hopes to raise $50,000 dollars, which Sam is confident they can reach.
“In the first year of an event, to be able to hit $30,000 is pretty impressive,” he says. “We’ll be able to build off of what we learned last year and get the story out. We got so much feedback that this was one of the best golf outings people had been to. Cameron made a huge impact when she was in the hospital, and she continues to have a huge impact after and we just want to continue to see that grow.”
The funds raised from the first tournament went to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where doctors cared for Cameron. This year, the tournament will split donations between C.S. Mott and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Nationwide was the hospital that first diagnosed Cameron.
“Since a lot of the fundraising is coming from local supporters, we made sure that Nationwide Children’s is able to benefit from this too,” Sam says.
The Steinberg family chose a golf outing for the fundraiser as a way to raise money while also allowing participants to get outside to have fun. Throughout the tournament, participants can continue to contribute to the cause by purchasing raffle tickets or mulligan shots.
Sam and Melissa hope their foundation can continue to raise awareness for congenital heart disease and that they can keep offering families the same support that they received from organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House, C.S. Mott and Nationwide Children’s.
This year’s golf outing takes place May 23 at 9 a.m. at the Club at Tartan Fields, 8070 Tartan Fields Dr., Dublin.
Register or find more information on the tournament here. Donations can be made here.
Read more about the community of Dublin in the latest issue of Dublin Life Magazine.
Tyler Kirkendall is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com
