David's Inspiration Lives On
David Elementary School located in The Woodlands is named for a little boy who touched millions of hearts around the globe without ever leaving his sterile, plastic bubble. The world knew him as David, the Bubble Boy.
David was born with a genetic immune disorder called SCID, or severe combined immune deficiency, which robbed him of any germ-fighting ability. In 1984, at the age of 12, David died after an unsuccessful bone marrow transplant that doctors had hoped would free him from his germfree environment.
David lived with his family in the Montgomery County community of Shenandoah. Teachers from nearby Lamar Elementary and, later, Wilkerson Intermediate came to his home to tutor him, and he sometimes participated in classroom activities via a special telephone hookup.
At the 1990 dedication of David Elementary, Carol Ann Vetter Demaret spoke proudly of her son who loved school, telling a rapt audience that the school “is an answering of our prayers that his spirit continues on Earth.” That speech continues to inspire the school.
Honoring the Memory
Now each year the school holds its annual David’s Dream Run, a communitywide 5K run/walk to raise money for the David Center at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. The center was established after David’s death and David Elementary School, in particular, has been very loyal over the years in providing that extra measure of support that makes the difference. David would be thrilled.
The success of David’s Dream Run depends on the support of the local and corporate sponsors. All of the proceeds (100%) will benefit the David Center at Texas Children’s Hospital. The David Center is part of the Allergy and Immunology Clinic which provides care in many areas, including: Allergy, Asthma, Immune Dysfunction, and HIV/AIDS.