WELLESLEY — There was a bitter chill in the air. The howling wind only added more cold.
But the conditions did not prevent dozens of Wellesley High School athletes from diving into the frigid water of Morses Pond on Saturday morning.
This weekend marked the seventh annual “Plunge for Elodie” event, which raises money for awareness in the fight against the disease known as Epidermolysis Bullosa.
The fundraiser and the event were designed for Elodie Kubik, a 7-year-old Wellesley child battling the rare genetic skin illness. Kubik’s specific form of the disease impacts about 1,200 people nationally.
Elodie’s mother, Emily, is a former Wellesley lacrosse and track athlete. She smiled as a growing crowd of a couple hundred assembled around the town landmark.
“It is amazing,” Emily Kubik said. “I love everyone here so much. I’ve been blown away. Managing this disease is so hard, but there have been some findings. Seeing all these people, who have come out here to support us, some of whom I don’t even know, has been a huge silver lining for my family.”
Elodie was first diagnosed with EB as an infant. Emily’s former classmate at Wellesley High was Jesse Davis, now the school’s football coach. Davis teamed up with his fellow coordinator and Raiders track coach John Griffith to help start something fun, a way for the tight-knit community to rally. They worked with town officials and the Kubik family to put things into place.
“Our motto is family together,” said Griffith. “Doing things together. It’s not just the kids who are in the program now. It’s for everyone who came before this year, or any year. Elodie’s mom ran track for us back in the day, and (we want) anything we can do to help out. Just to be here, and support Elodie, and hopefully find a cure for the precious little girl.”
As members of the Wellesley football and track teams gathered along the pond’s outer reaches, a gust whipped up, sending a chill throughout the crowd. After opening ceremonies, Elodie walked up to the megaphone, telling the students and participants to go. The crowd poured into the cold waters in a cheer, then sprinted to the concession stands for relief shortly thereafter.
It was another historic season for Wellesley’s girls track program, which won its latest Div. 2 indoor title this past winter. Following the plunge, Katie Fitts found herself catching her breath with fellow team captains Annie Comella, Emma Sutherland and Gaia Jacobs. It was a rewarding end to an impressive campaign for the group.
“It was honestly a surreal experience,” said Fitts. “It just makes you feel like a better person, because you’re helping something, and making the world a better place.”
Entering the weekend, the running of the Plunge for Elodie had raised $2 million over its prior six years. Following Saturday’s events, that total is now expected to climb to $2.5 million through the programs and via community donations. Plunges are now being held by the same organization worldwide.
“When (Elodie) was born, (Emily’s) friends really rallied around her,” said Allison McGettigan, a Community and Operations director at E.B. Research Partnership. “They just wanted to know what they could do to help. She said: ‘Simply help me cure this disease.’ They’re not doctors, they’re not scientists, but honestly with a rare disease, sometimes the biggest obstacle isn’t even science. It’s funding the research to cure the disease. So they got together, they planned a fundraiser with the first one being in Wellesley seven years ago, and it has just exploded ever since.”
