*photo credit: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Facebook page
So many people and families are affected every day from a diagnosis of cancer. Regardless of age, it is very impactful. However, with a little child it just seems to hit even harder. I personally know a great woman who is undergoing treatment for brain cancer, and has been for about 2 years now. It came back and she has gone through some setbacks, but her faith and her family are keeping her strong. I also, know a brave little 3rd grader who I teach Catechism to every Sunday and I am good friends with her Dad. We went to high school together. Like all diagnoses for cancer, it came out of the blue. No clue, one day she began to have pain in her hips. They thought perhaps it was just growing pains, but after a few days, they took her to Children's Hospital, and she was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma. She currently goes into our Children's Hospital here in Pittsburgh, PA for treatments. It is a rough road, but her outlook is very good. Nonetheless, it has been difficult for her and her family. Her father, a fantastic man and father, has been by her side this whole time, just as the rest of his family has stepped up and helped. Below, is a beautiful picture of this sweet, sweet girl given to me by her Dad. She has a couple more tough treatments and hopefully we can say she has beat this. Prayers for her, and my friend's mother who will hopefully beat hers as well.
Knowing this sweet girl (in picture), and the amazing woman with brain cancer, has made cancer hit home for myself. Seeing the strife, the ups, the downs, and listening to the loved ones talk about this time in their lives, really makes me want to help. I am naturally inclined to help others. I always have. It brings joy for me to step out into the community and help. This more than likely stems from my upbringing as a Catholic in which my parents, mainly my Mom, Nana, and my Aunts as they taught me the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Christian way of life. This way of life, is very simple, help others, show grace, treat everyone with love, respect, and have a prayerful life. Pray for those who need help, for everyone who is sinning (which is ALL of us, including myself). We do not have to accept the sins, but we do need to love and accept the person. I digress. This fundraiser also hits hard because, I didn't have childhood cancer, but I was born with congenital clubbed feet and spent a lot of my time at Shriner's Children Hospital in Springfield, MA. I met so many suffering children and their families. My own condition was like a small little seed of grain; whereas, their conditions were like whole fields of wheat. So, my heart goes out to all the children and their families who are dealing with illnesses and health issues, whether it is a physical issue like at Shriner's or cancers/other illnesses.
This brings me to the St. Jude Children Research Hospital's fundraiser, Read 30 Minutes a Day in April. It is an online/virtual fundraiser through Facebook. The following are the links to get started:
Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1580464332436549
Now, the last two links can be found on the Facebook page. I will post my link where you can donate onto my Facebook page, so if you want to just donate, please do!
I will say that it is pretty self explanatory, you sign up, activate the fundraiser on your Facebook page, read 30 mins a day, track it, post it, and get donations from family, friends, etc on your Facebook. This is for such a great cause. I am sure most of you know who and what the St. Jude Research Hospital is and does, but for those who do not, I will provide a brief statement.
St. Jude is a research hospital that is finding cures and saving lives of so many children. They are a non-profit, so they are a 501(c)(3), so when you give, you can use it as a tax deduction. As a non-profit, they operate solely on the generosity of others and grants. This money not only helps with the research, but it also makes sure that families receive no bills, have a place to stay while their child is under their care, helps with travel and food costs as well. As you can guess, St. Jude is named after Saint Jude Thaddeus, the Catholic Saint of hopeless causes. It was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Memphis, TN. They also share with the rest of the medical community their findings and they have amazingly raised the survival rate amongst children with cancer from 20% to almost 80% chance of survival. That alone is amazing. Your support would be fantastic to help these children and their families.
If you would like to join me and the thousand others in this 30 mins a day reading challenge, get on Facebook and let's do this! I really hope this gets out to many people. Share this, share the Facebook page, share this information. We can do this. We can help. Happy reading, my fellow book lovers!