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Batter up! Woodlands family to host Hit-A-Thon to raise awareness for worthy cause

By: Laura Weinthal
| Published 07/23/2015

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THE WOODLANDS, Texas - The Berger family of The Woodlands is excited to announce the first annual Hit-A-Thon for Lymphatic Education and Research, to benefit lymphatic research and raise awareness of individuals living with such disorders.

The Berger family is on a mission to help raise awareness and funds for Lymphatic Education and Research.


Marc and Holly Berger were first made aware of lymphatic malformations when their son, Zachary, was diagnosed at just 16 days old. Lymphatic malformation causes the build-up of excess fluid in the vessels, resulting in swelling or the appearance of enlarged soft tissues and bones. Zachary has undergone eight separate surgeries, including sclerotherapy injections. While the injection successfully reduced swelling of macrocystic malformations, Zachary continued to suffer from periodic swellings of his tongue. Such swelling was intensely painful, and was only finally relieved through a surgery during the summer of 2014. Since then, Zachary has not experienced any more swelling of his tongue, and both him and his family have turned their time and interest into reaching out to organizations and individuals facing similar challenges as them.

Marc began developing the idea of a Hit-A-Thon after reading about possible fundraising ideas online. The Berger family already had a connection to the Woodlands Strykers through their role as a host family for a college player each summer, which they began doing as an outlet for Zachary’s interest in baseball and a distraction from his medical challenges. Through this, they were able to involve collegiate baseball players from the Woodlands Strykers to throw pitches.

Participants of the Hit-A-Thon are encouraged to register online and create their own donation page to spread the word and collect pledges prior to the event. At the Hit-A-Thon, each participant will get the opportunity to hit 25 pitches thrown by members of the Woodlands Strykers; there will also be food, games, and music. Registration, both online and in-person, is free.

While the Berger family encourages all participants to help raise money for lymphatic disease research, their main priority for the inaugural 2015 Hit-A-Thon is to simply raise awareness of lymphedema and other lymphatic diseases.

“Up to 10 million Americans, and hundreds worldwide, suffer from lymphedema and lymphatic disease [...] more than MS, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease, and AIDS, in the U.S. combined,” said Marc Berger. “To me, it’s tragic that nobody knows that. That’s really why advocacy and awareness is just critical.”

As for Zachary himself, he has remained an unfailingly upbeat, bright eleven-year-old boy, with a passion for baseball and a desire to connect with others. When asked what he would most like participants to have gained from the event, Zachary replies, with a small laugh, “One, good hitting tips. And two, just to have a knowledge of something they had no idea could happen.”

The Hit-A-Thon for Lymphatic Education and Research is scheduled for August 1st at 10 AM. It will be held at Alden Bridge Sports Park, located on highway 242.

To register as a participant or make a monetary donation, visit this link and click “Join the Team.”

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