Class Note 2007
We all cherish the deep, lasting friendships we made at Dartmouth and I know that many of us consider them to be the very best thing about the College. Sandra (Buetler) Sidi shares a heartwarming story about just how life-changing those friendships and relationships can be.
“This past summer, as so many know, I was diagnosed with an aggressive version of multiple sclerosis (MS). I was prescribed medication that slows the disease, but doesn’t stop it, the same medication my aunt was on when she died of MS. I was desperate for another solution than degenerating painfully the way the doctors were predicting. I found out about a treatment called hematopoietic stem cell transplant. The treatment basically shuts down the immune system completely with chemotherapy, and then reboots it with the patient’s own healthy stem cells. It was expensive. I was no longer able to work because of my disabilities and, with two little kids, I was terrified. But I reached out to the Dartmouth community, our class especially, and we raised the money I needed to book a surgery date! You all gave through my GoFundMe page and were so generous! I got the treatment and I am well again! There was no way I could have done this otherwise. What can I say: Our class, our college, saved my life. I am pain-free. Some students gave thousands, some gave $20. My aunt died of MS in eight years, and I was looking at a similar future. Now I get the chance to be well because of you. Thank you so much for caring so much for me and my boys. I am back home already from the treatment, a bit fatigued, but doing so well. Thank you! Go green! I love you all.”
The Dartmouth family is truly a special one.
On that note, join me in welcoming some new future members! Daphne Nita Stege was born November 28, 2018, in Chicago to Hans Stege and Morgan Allen. Hans reports that she looks adorable in green and they are already planning playdates with other potential ’40s! Laura Pearlstein Mills and her husband, Hywel, welcomed baby Nico on November 10. Big sister Teddy is now 3—sassy, independent, and creative. As you can imagine, Laura and Hywel are just trying to keep up!
Amie Sugarman and her husband, Nathan (Princeton ’07), welcomed their first child, Theo, in December. They are still happily living in Los Angeles, and Amie is still working in the education sector at a charter school organization. Marshall Smith and his wife, Shannon, celebrated 11 years of marriage in 2018 and have four kids Harrison (8), Davis (6), Jay (6), and Reece (3) living in Dallas. He enjoyed a ‘Manse’ reunion in Park City, Utah, in May with fellow ’07s Matt Prout, Matt Nolan, Chadd Funk, and T.J. Plichta. Sarah Overton and her husband, David Duncan, celebrated the birth of their daughter, Adelaide Diane Overton Duncan, in November. The three of them, plus Ike the dog, live in Melbourne, Australia, and would love to catch up with any ’07s who find themselves down that way.
—Jaime Padgett, 1837 W. Patterson Ave, #109, Chicago, IL 60613; dartmouth2007s@gmail.com
