Claire's Ride for a Reason

Raising Awareness and Support for SUDC                             
Claire Elizabeth Tomaszewski was a precious, happy, perfectly healthy little girl at age 2.  She had a mild ear infection and upset stomach with typical kid stuff symptoms on a Wednesday and died in her mommy’s arms on Friday morning, October 24, 2003. Her cause of death remains unexplained and has been categorized as SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood).

SUDC occurs in children beyond the age of twelve months.  The cause of death remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation and autopsy. SUDC is a diagnosis of exclusion, in other words, a diagnosis of SUDC is made when other causes of death are not identified after a thorough evaluation. SUDC is not new, but it is very rare.  Its incidence is approximately 1 death per 100,000 children.  In comparison, the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is 50 times more common.

The SUDC Program was created in September 2001 as part of the CJ Foundation for SIDS.  It was developed to provide a centralized resource for information, support, research and advocacy.  It serves families and professionals affected by the tragedy of SUDC, and promotes awareness of SUDC in communities.

Don and Maryann Tomaszewski will be sponsoring the first-annual Claire’s Ride for a Reason in June 2006, a benefit for the SUDC Program held in memory of their daughter. This first annual event will be showcased by a 3,000 mile bicycle tour from the SUDC research facility in San Diego, CA to the SUDC Program headquarters in Hackensack, NJ.

Two riders, Gene Buonomo, event founder, and Don Tomaszewski, will cover an average of 225 miles per day for two-weeks on road bikes.  Local fund raising will provide for their expenses and to promote the event.  Corporate sponsorships will be vigorously pursued to both raise money for the SUDC Program and to increase awareness of the facts.  All funds raised in Claire’s honor will be presented to the CJ Foundation for the advancement of SUDC research and the funding of family support services