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On Saturday, March 30, roughly 100 residents from Wellesley, MA participated in Elodie Kubik’s seventh annual polar plunge fundraiser at Morses Pond Beach. The event began at 10 a.m. and ended at 11 a.m..
Kubik, who is now seven-years-old, was diagnosed with Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) as an infant. EB is a skin disease that causes a person’s skin to become prone to blistering. This means that any sort of pressure applied to the skin, such as “heat, rubbing or scratching,” can cause wounds.
After her diagnosis, Kubik’s family and friends created an ice plunge to raise money for further research on EB. The fundraiser is also meant to bring awareness to the illness. This year, the charity event is trying to raise $500,000 for the cause, and is currently at a balance of $355,698. The ice plunge is not just held in Wellesley, but also in states all over the U.S. and some international countries, such as Japan.
Some Wellesley High School (WHS) students’ parents came to support not just Kubik, but also their own children who were participating in the plunge. Some students on WHS’ track and football teams participated as well.
“We want to support the charity today and my son is a member of the football team,” Wellesley resident Steve Hollingsworth said. “The football team does the plunge together, so I’m here to support the charity and the football team. I know [the charity] is for a good cause, since the football team has been behind [the fundraiser] for years.”
Some residents got together in groups of adults and children to support Kubik. The community members who wanted to participate in the plunge had to sign a waiver beforehand. The plunge was organized in sections: the kids went into the water first and then sports teams entered second. Some groups wore pink swim caps to honor Kubik, since pink is her favorite color.
“It’s so special that everyone’s together because it’s obviously so cold,” WHS student Eliza Sutherland said. “There’s no way I could’ve [plunged] alone, but everyone’s in the same boat. It’s so amazing that all these people came out and jumped in the water.”
Despite the cold temperature, some participants said that the cold water is tolerable since it’s for a good cause. The average temperature of Morses Pond in March is around 38 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather on the day of the fundraiser was around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
“I think that getting to experience the pain in the cold is definitely a special part of [the event],” WHS student Baya Wozny said. “You get [to experience] a second of what Kubik feels every day.”
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