These are the two most emotionally gut-wrenching days of the year for me.
Yesterday and today, I am participating in the WSB Care-a-Thon to raise money for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Yesterday, during my first hour, I interviewed a dad whose six-year-old son has brain cancer with the same genetic mutation as my wife’s lung cancer. The child is terminal but continues to fight for a miracle.
Another family lost their daughter years ago and is now coming to terms with the fact their child has been dead longer than she was alive.
Still, another has rung the bell, beaten cancer, and will soon turn ten years old.
The AFLAC Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is the top research facility in the country for childhood sickle cell and one of the top ten research facilities for childhood cancer. Every penny we raise today — 100% of every dollar — goes to pay the salaries of child specialists who entertain and emotionally support the needs of kids getting treatment. The money also covers redesigns of rooms to make living long-term at the hospital easy for treatments. The money even covers Xboxes and PlayStations that the kids and their siblings can use to distract them during their treatments.
It is a very worthy cause, and I hope you might consider picking up the phone, calling 1-888-750-2772, and donating. Every donation is matched, so if you can only give $1.00, you are actually giving $2.00. If you give $5.00, you are actually giving $10.00.
Please help me fight childhood cancers. Call 1-888-750-2772 or you can go online here and click “donate now.”
Bless you Erick for doing what you are going through these days. This past April was the 23 year I have gone without my wonderful wife of many years and it was due to CANCER. It was a totally different kind than Anderson had ever seen. My wife was the first in the US to have it. They finally found that two ladies in Australia had it.
She was a very slim lady that never was over 118lbs. Then 4 1/2 mo. before she passed away. That was when the Cancer started with eating all of her inner organs and she had to immediately go on tube feeding. It just ate her insides and I took care of her at home until two days before she passed. She was down to 68lbs. I would carry her to the car and back when she had Dr. appt. It was 6 mo. after she passed that Anderson called me and they had found out about the two in Australia but still had NO way of stopping this one.
That is one reason I pray for your wife and her cancer as I know some of what you are going through.
Blessings to you and your wife and for bring this to all of our attention about the children.
Erick, I am not turning a blind eye by not donating, nor am I trying to toot my own horn. I am fully invested in fighting cancer through a charity that dovetails with AFLAC Cancer and Blood Disorders Center by supporting cancer research at Ohio State's The James Cancer Research Center. Next weekend in Columbus, OH I'll ride my bicycle 184 miles over two days for this cause. Like you, the stories I hear are both heartbreaking and triumphant. Just want you to know that I'm pulling the same plow and believe deeply in this cause.