Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Thank You Maddie



I have to tell you about this sweet girl named Maddie that our family just had the honor of meeting last night.  She is 11 years old, in the 5th grade and she has a heart for children with cancer.  She has grown her hair out three times, so she could donate it to 'locks of love' and after doing that she told her mom that she wanted to do something more.... something bigger for someone battling this disease.  

A little background on how we met Maddie.  My sister, Stacey is a dance teacher at Center Stage Dance Studio and teaches Maddie.  When Maddie heard about Abbey, she started thinking of a way she could help our family.  She rounded up some of her friends and on Valentines Day evening, Maddie and her friends (and her parents) spent the evening at the dance studio and told parents from the studio that they could drop their kids off there for the night to be babysat.  Maddie and her friends spent the night babysitting for free and at the end of the night they asked parents for donations for our family.  

We were so amazed by the generous amount of money that they raised for us and are so thankful that a young girl would have such a generous heart to do this for us.  We are also so thankful that so many people made donations for us.  Maddie and her mom, along with my sister came to our house last night to present us with the gift.  It was so nice to meet her and for the kids to get to spend a little time with her.  The kids colored this picture for her earlier in the day and were excited to give it to her when she got here.  

Over these last 4 1/2 months, we have had several groups of people do fund raisers or donations for us which I want to mention in this post also.  We never got the privledge of meeting many of them, but their generosity also was very appreciated and we are grateful for each person, both kid and adult that has helped us in this way.  From cheerleading squads, to groups in high schools, to police departments, to a hair salon, to people that we don't even know from across the country, we have seen an amazing outpouring of love for us with donations and we are thankful.  

We have had many people ask us about our insurance and what will be coming out of our pocket for Abbey's 2 1/2 year treatments.  We are very grateful that Jim has wonderful insurance through his job and almost everything is covered in full.  We do have to pay a co-pay for medications and getting to and from the hospital, and also if we go through the ER, there's a co-pay, but other than that all the other procedures and treatments are covered.  The money that we have been given has been mostly put aside, but some used so far for co-pays and travel expenses.  We are also looking into the possibility of getting a high tech air/surface purifier for our home.  With the money that one high school group gave us a while back, we got the ducts cleaned in our home. Thank you Maddie for your generosity and everyone else who has blessed us in this way!  We pray that God will bless you all richly as you've blessed us :)  

8 comments:

The Rigelsky Family said...

What an amazing little girl.

Heather said...

What a beautiful thing.We have been amazed at the outpouring of love and support by complete strangers.I cannot wait to one day pay it forward.We will continue to be praying for Abbey now and most especially as she enters as this next intense phase.Until then please enjoy your two weeks off.Enjoy the company of each other and know that a new,better normal will be around the corner before you know it.

Anonymous said...

The world needs more kids like Maddie! That is just amazing.

Lynn said...

Praise the Lord for little Maddie. This is how others see Christ! I was just thinking this morning that one day Abbey's hair will grow back, and it could come in curly. At least that is what mine did. Over the years it has lost that curl, but it was fun while I had it. I could really relate to your post about the restaurant. When I had treatment it was high dose chemo with stem cell rescue. So I had 0 white blood cells for a while. Then when I left the hospital during cold and flu season with a low blood count I remember thinking I wish I didn't have to go in the elevator. I told the nurse if they could just lower me out the window on a rope I would be just fine with that! Now this has been over 12 years ago. Our Lord is amazing.....and He's got Abbey in His hands!

angela gore said...

Your entries are always so touching. It's so beautiful what Maddie did for your family and it's neat to think how blessed I'm sure she feels as a result of being involved with your family as well...I get a small sense from what you've shared of how looming and daunting the next few months will be. Please know we will be praying and thinking and reading...You are chosen by God for this very special mission He has your family on. You are touching so many lives for His sake. We praise God for you guys!

Corrine said...

wow what an amazing little girl!

Anonymous said...

hey shelley, just wanted to say hello and let you know that we are still thinking of you and your family all the time. We hope you enjoy these 2 weeks "off" together- but will dig in with you in prayer for the next phase.

love,
coral

Laurel Greer said...

That is INCREDIBLE to hear about precious Maddie. WOW!