I have mentioned many times that my daughter was born sick and we were blessed with a liver transplant when she was just a year old. I know what it is like to pray to God on a daily basis to take your last breathe so that your child can have one more...I know the love, I know the anger, I know the fear, I know the joy...in her short little lifetime Savannah has taught me more then I ever learned in the 30 + years before her birth.
A short while ago a friend of my husband came to him asking for any information he may have to guide in helping his Best Friend's daughter...you see she is a child that was fine one day and diagnosed with cancer the next...literally. She was given a few months to live and her parents were in the depth of a place no parent should ever have to visit.
This beautiful little girl was accepted into a trial study at St. Jude. St. Jude Hospital....you have heard of them I am sure. At some point I am sure you have seen their telethons asking you to donate. You have seen Marlo Thomas carry on the amazing legacy her father began...but do you change the channel when the beautiful little children with bald little heads get too much to watch? I don't blame you if you do. I have sat and watched and changed the channel myself frankly because the tears don't stop flowing and I just can't bare it anymore...the thing is {they} can't change the channel, their parents can't change the channel...
Cancer, what a cruel disease. The first time I learned this word was when we buried my {Abuelita}. My grandmother died of cancer, then years later I had to watch my father fight it and take his last breathe because of this cruel disease...and I don't even want to tell you about the tears that are floating as I type thinking of the amazing women who have touched my life who have and still fight this horrible disease.
As I type my daughter is wearing an adorable "Warriors in Pink" shirt sent to her by her Yia Yia - cancer is an ugly, ugly word and one that no parent should have to hear....one that I know many liver transplant survivors have to deal with. There is a form of cancer that parents of children who have received all fear...it is called PTLD and it starts with a simple virus "EBV"...too many initials and fancy explanations simply to say that at the end it can morph into cancer...how unfair?!
I was going to jump and simply encourage you to look at the St. Jude website because they are an amazing hospital working with children who have been diagnosed with cancer....but then I realized I wanted to explain my connection with this dreaded disease...it takes on so many forms and yet the bottom line is that it is a cruel and unfair disease that needs to be fought.
St. Jude is {Free} ... it runs off of donations ... it is a research hospital. The priority is to save their patients lives...their children....our children...without our help they can not. I know all too well what I would do to try and save my child's life. If your child is healthy... {{{hug them}}} ...hug them and tell them how much you love them even if they are annoying the heck out of you at this very moment ... for you are {Blessed} beyond words...
If you are thinking about having your kids do a lemonade stand this summer, or holding a yard sale to get rid of extra junk you have laying around consider donating the profits to St. Jude's...I can tell you that they will be very happy to deposit the $5 profit from the lemonade stand...
Do you want a {Frugal} gift idea that benefits St. Jude's ? Check out the clearance section in their gift shop! The adorable teddy bears below are 3 for $18!
For more information on St. Jude's Hospital please click HERE.
1 comment:
Thank you for this post. We all need these reminders to help in whatever ways we can. I feel so fortunate to have a healthy baby and pray that this remains the case. The least I can do is help those who are not as fortunate.
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