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Auction winner returns prized guitar to young donor

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By Emily Sorensen

A Poway teenager has a little extra Christmas joy after a prized guitar she donated to an auction was returned to her by the winners.

Kirsten Blackburn, a Poway High School sophomore, decided to repay Rady Children’s Hospital for changing her life by donating her prized guitar, signed by Taylor Swift, to last weekend’s “Carols by Candlelight” auction. Not only did her guitar bring in a whopping $4,700 for the hospital, but her good deed was unexpectedly rewarded when the unnamed auction winners, who are also from Poway, returned the guitar to Blackburn.

“Yes Kirsten, there is a Santa Claus,” said Steve Vaus, who has organized and performed in “Carols by Candlelight” since its inception. “In 23 years, I’ve never seen anything like it. Right there, we saw what Christmas was about.”

Kirsten’s family originally won the guitar for her in an auction held at a foundation dinner at Twin Peaks Middle School. The guitar had been meant to be auctioned live, said Lisa Blackburn, Kirsten’s mother, but it had been forgotten about, and the Blackburns were able to get it for a lower price.

Despite Kirsten’s fondness for the guitar, giving back to Rady Children’s Hospital meant more to her.

“I just wanted to give back to them because of all the things they did for me, to help me get better,” she said Monday.

Kirsten was diagnosed with adolescent scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, at 12. Fitted with a brace, she and her family were dismayed to learn that after only three months, her spinal curvature had worsened drastically. The Blackburns paid out of pocket to get Kirsten further testing at Rady Children’s Hospital, as their insurance would not cover it, and discovered that in addition to scoliosis, Kirsten had Chiari malformations, non-cancerous tumors growing in her spine that caused it to curve.

Kirsten’s original hospital wanted to wait until she finished growing to perform the needed surgery to fix her spine, but that was years away. Rady Children’s Hospital, however, was willing to perform the needed surgeries on Kirsten right away, insurance or no insurance. Blackburn underwent two surgeries, leaving her with two metal rods and 24 screws in her spine.

Nobody in the Blackburn family was expecting it when Vaus announced during Saturday night’s concert that the winners were returning the guitar to Kirsten.

“It was a moment we’ll never forget,” said Lisa Blackburn. “That’s something that only happens in movies.”

Kirsten said she was shocked when it was returned. “I couldn’t believe they were giving it back, I was so happy,” she said.

Kirsten said she plans on learning how to play the guitar, instead of just displaying it in her room, and hopes to do more to give back to Rady Children’s Hospital.

“Carols by Candlelight” concerts were held Friday and Saturday nights at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Vaus said it was “one of our better years.” The total amount raised for the hospital won’t be available until next week, he said.

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