Frigid air and gusty weather were no deterrent this year at the seventh annual Plunge for Elodie at Morses Pond in Wellesley, as hundreds of enthusiastic supporters dashed into the water in support of Elodie Kubik. Elodie, seven years old, lives with a severe form of Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare condition which causes fragile skin. The Plunge for Elodie was created with the goal of finding a cure for the disease, which the group hopes to accomplish by 2030. The Plunge for Elodie, which began in 2018, has already raised $2.5 million dollars, which has resulted in huge steps forward in treatments for the disease. As of six months ago a topical gene therapy was made available, and Elodie has been using this treatment since September, with more treatment options expected to develop in coming years.
The plunge has only gotten bigger since it started. Larry Corda, a coach for Wellesley High School’s football and track & field teams, recalls that the first year of the plunge there were only around fifty people total. He estimated that today there were fifty members of the football team alone and close to a hundred from track and field jumping in. Corda said that if you’re daunted by the prospect of taking the plunge, “You should absolutely come, you don’t have to go in. Just show up and support.”
The Plunge for Elodie has spread all across the world, with fifteen more events to be held this year, including in Japan and Australia. Wellesley’s plunge has quite the appeal as well, pulling in divers from all over the country. Allison and David McGettigin, coming in from New York and Pennsylvania respectively, were excited to hop in the water and towel off as quickly as possible. Allison, who is involved with the Plunge for Elodie foundation, said that this was the largest plunge she had seen, and that it was “cool to see the community rally together.”
As the crowd of eagerly waiting plungers shivered in the wind, Dave Khtikian announced through a megaphone that “the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, it’s the perfect morning for a plunge into Morses Pond.” The plungers went in waves, with groups such as the Track team, the organizing committee, and those seventeen and under rushing into the water, before quickly running back towards dry towels.
The goal for this year’s fundraising, across the globe, is $500,000 dollars, $300,000 of which has already been raised. Emily Kubik, Elodie’s mom, is hopeful that the goal will be reached, with 15 more plunges at different locations scheduled to take place in the coming months. Kubik stressed that “every dollar counts,” and believes that with continued support and fundraising, a cure is possible. Elodie, who watched from the sidelines in a unicorn-onesie, has good reason to keep on smiling, as the continued support of thousands of people worldwide is making a cure for her condition closer and closer to a reality.
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