Anna's Angel Fund Update: April 2005

Anna's Angel Fund Update: April 2005

Our lives continue to take unexpected turns, but we're adjusting and taking those turns as they come! Anna's latest hurdle, her deafness, has started a new chapter in her life and in the life of our family. The three of us are taking sign language classes, (joined also by our friend, Ann), and a wonderful friend in our church is coming to our house once a week to help us become fluent more quickly as well. Anna has started attending the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, which was a huge step for her. But as usual, she managed it with courage and grace, and for the first time since her diagnosis, she seems to have found some sense of normalcy and happiness.

Because of your prayers and your donations to Anna's Angel Fund, we always have some good news to report! And this time is no different. We have so many wonderful things to tell you about! The generosity of those of you who support Anna's Angel Fund continues to amaze and humble us. Here are the ways Anna has chosen to use the gifts to her fund since Christmas:

$1200 Toys R Us, $316 Wal-Mart and $82 Bath & Body Works
This money was spent on gifts for Anna to give out at the hospital on Christmas Day! Many of the toys from Toys R Us were actually donated by one very generous family. This was a very special Christmas for all of us, and for our friend, Melissa who helped with the shopping and went with us to the hospital. It was sad and shocking to see how many children were alone in the hospital on Christmas Day, but we had enough gifts to give them out on every floor of the hospital! (We didn't go to the intensive care unit because the kids there are just too sick.)

$500 to Mowell & Son Funeral Home, $106 James Avery Jewelers
We met a precious little two year old boy named Elijah, along with his mom, two brothers and sister on Christmas Day at the hospital. We've gotten to know this family very well since then and have watched Elijah fight so very hard to beat his cancer. But this month, Elijah lost his battle with cancer and his family had to have quite a bit of help to bury him. Many donations were given to his family but in the end, they came up $500 short. Anna wanted desperately to help them. Two days before Elijah's funeral we received two checks in the mail - one for $500 and one for $50. We were able to pay the balance and Elijah's mom was able to grieve the loss of her baby with no thought of the bills to follow.

Elijah's mom is from another country but worships at a Methodist church. She always comments on how much she loves my Methodist cross necklace. At Elijah's funeral I was able to put one like it on her, thanks to you.

$257 Target, $97 Toys R Us, $200 grocery gift card, $200 gas card
A six year old little girl named Faith who has the same kind of brain tumor Anna had. But Faith has to relearn how to walk, talk and feed herself. Her parents are going through a divorce and her father is in drug rehab. Faith was born weighing 1lb. and had six surgeries prior to being diagnosed with cancer. Needless to say, her life has been a struggle from the very beginning. Faith's mom has had to go back to work and they are having a very hard time financially. Faith badly needed clothes for her smaller body, and money for gasoline and food was much needed, too. We bought Faith a whole new wardrobe! We found out that she loved Sponge Bob and Anna spotted a Sponge Bob nightgown and robe and a couple of Sponge Bob shirts. She also loves Clifford so we made sure to buy Sponge Bob and Clifford toys for her as well. We didn't want to leave out her one year old brother, so we supplied him with lots of new toys, too. For mom, we provided a $200 gas card and a $200 grocery store gift card.

$237 Target, $101 Toys R Us, $200 grocery gift card, $200 gas card
Then there was two year old little Lucy. Again, she had the same tumor Anna did. Lucy's mom works very hard but is having trouble making ends meet because of the time she spends at the hospital. Their needs were pretty much the same as Faith's family. So, Lucy, (who loves Dora, the Explorer) got a new wardrobe including Dora clothes and Dora toys, too! Lucy's four year old brother also got his share of clothes and toys, complete with his favorite characters, Spiderman and Power Rangers. This mom's gifts were also a $200 gas card and a $200 grocery store gift card.

$175 Toys R Us, $150 Target, $200 gas card
A three month old baby with a particularly devastating tumor. Survival is not likely for this little girl. Her family travels four hours one-way to get to the hospital for treatment and therefore, the baby spends an awful lot of time in the car. They needed some things to help them entertain the baby in the car and we found plenty! We supplied them with lots of new toys with lights, sound and music. We even found one really cool toy that had a remote control that could be operated by a parent from the front seat! Her five year old sister will start the spring with lots of new clothes, too, many of them with Barbie logos, as well as two new pairs of shoes. We were also able to provide them with a $200 gas card to help with those long trips to the hospital.

$500 Music and Arts Center (Lawrenceville)
A seventeen year old boy who was struggling emotionally while undergoing chemo treatments. His friends were all talking about colleges, scholarships, their plans for the future. He felt like life was passing him by. The Make-A-Wish Foundation had granted his wish for a guitar, but surprised him with a very special one that was actually being made for Eddie Van Halen! But this boy's parents were unable to provide him with lessons. His doctors and nurses felt that guitar lessons would give him the lift and emotional outlet that he so badly needed. Thanks to many of you, Anna was able to provide him with lessons every week for more than six months!

$843 to Sears
Anna chose to have much needed items shipped to this family because they live in south Georgia. This is a single mom with a 4 month old baby who has cancer. (Dad has left since the baby's diagnosis.) They also have two other teenage children. One of them, a 15 year old girl, just let her mom know that she is pregnant. Way too much for mom to handle. Mom has had to go back to work and dad is not helping them much financially. They do not have a stove, and are use a hot plate for cooking right now. Anna sent them a $300 gift card to help them buy a stove. Then we went on the web and Anna picked out a crib for the 15 yr. olds' baby that's on the way, a car seat for the 4 month old, and an answering machine so they don't miss any more important messages from the hospital or doctors.

$536 Target
An older teenager who not only has leukemia, but made a poor choice with his girlfriend that will make him a father of a baby boy in May. He has many challenges financially, physically and intellectually. They have received some community resources but don't have nearly enough for this baby. Once again, asking Anna if she wants to shop for a baby is like asking her if she wants to eat ice cream! We had a blast shopping for this baby. Thanks to many angels, we bought tons of diapers and clothes, wipes, a stroller, a pumpkin seat, healthcare and grooming items, infant bathtub, blankets, and more!

$667 Old Navy, $210 Target
7 year old boy with cancer. Don't know much about this family except that his social worker says they desperately need help with clothes. He has a five year old sister and four brothers. We bought clothes and shoes for all six of them! For the boy with cancer however, we bought LOTS of clothes! He also was wishing for a "grown-up" watch (no cartoons) and a Game boy. Those were easy to provide! We got him a really cool watch, a Game boy, and games for his Game boy as well. Just before we delivered everything to the hospital we also found out that there was also a twenty year old sister who often brought him to the hospital for his treatments. We felt that she deserved to be included, too, so we gave her a $50 gift card to Target.

$150 Target, $300 gas card
This was spent on a little girl in Louisiana who has cancer. We heard about her through some very good friends who told us that their family could use a little help. They drive quite a distance for her treatments so Anna thought they should have plenty of gas money. The little girl said she didn't have any of the latest movies, so Anna picked out twelve DVDs for her! Then we packed the box with a purse and lots of other "girlie" things Anna thought she would like, as well as a $300 gas card for her parents, and sent it off to Louisiana!

$114 Greene Classic Limos, $225 Japanese Steak House
(Most of the cost of the limo was donated.) Anna wanted very much to help provide this special night for a girl she had met named Claire. Claire's cancer had become untreatable and her parents were told she would not live to celebrate her 16th birthday. But, as we all know, God has His own schedule for all of us and Claire did live to celebrate that birthday! She wanted to go to a Japanese Steak House with several friends and family in a limo - and that's exactly what she did! We heard she had a wonderful time.

Claire did pass away in March, but it was so comforting to Anna to know that her 16th birthday had been exactly what Claire had hoped it would be.

$150 Electronics Store, $100 Camp Sunshine
This Christmas, an X-Box was not the easiest last minute gift to find! But Stephanie was fighting bone cancer and was very sick. Her mother said she would love to have an X-Box to play with while she wasn't feeling well. A good friend helped us find one somewhere in Gainesville and Stephanie had it before Christmas! (sorry I can't remember the name of the store).

On February 8th this year though, Stephanie's cancer won. Anna wanted to make a donation to Camp Sunshine in memory of Stephanie, because that is where she met her. Stephanie Phillips was 19 years old.

$150 Brain Tumor Fdn. For Children, $150 Egleston (Hospital where Anna is treated)
Anna chose to make both of these donations in memory of Gregory Weaver. His mom has been very supportive of Anna in spite of her own loss.

Anna's Angel Fund was "born" nineteen months ago. Since then, Anna has received and donated approximately $45,000 thanks to so many of you! It is amazing to stop and consider how much kindness and generosity is reflected in that amount of money, especially when the average donation is $25-$50. That is a lot of donations! How humbling it is that you support Anna in such a special way. We are so grateful.

It is also overwhelming when we stop and reflect on the impact you have had on so many families and children who have been so devastated by cancer. You truly are angels to them and to us - those of you who pray for Anna, and those of you who can support her Angel Fund, too. We appreciate all of you so very much.

As always, I'm sure I have forgotten a few things since Christmas, but these are the ones that I can recall for now. Thank you for again allowing Anna the joy expressing her love and concern - and yours - for these children, through your gifts to her Angel Fund. May God bless each one of you for being such a special part of our lives.

Love,

Lisa, Larry and Anna

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		*Anna's Angel Fund Update: April 2005* Our lives continue to take unexpected turns, but we're adjusting and taking those turns as they come! Anna's latest hurdle, her deafness, has started a new chapter in her life and in the life of our family. The three of us are taking sign language classes, (joined also by our friend, Ann), and a wonderful friend in our church is coming to our house once a week to help us become fluent more quickly as well. Anna has started attending the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, which was a huge step for her. But as usual, she managed it with courage and grace, and for the first time since her diagnosis, she seems to have found some sense of normalcy and happiness. Because of your prayers and your donations to Anna's Angel Fund, we always have some good news to report! And this time is no different. We have so many wonderful things to tell you about! The generosity of those of you who support Anna's Angel Fund continues to amaze and humble us. Here are the ways Anna has chosen to use the gifts to her fund since Christmas: $1200 Toys R Us, $316 Wal-Mart and $82 Bath & Body Works This money was spent on gifts for Anna to give out at the hospital on Christmas Day! Many of the toys from Toys R Us were actually donated by one very generous family. This was a very special Christmas for all of us, and for our friend, Melissa who helped with the shopping and went with us to the hospital. It was sad and shocking to see how many children were alone in the hospital on Christmas Day, but we had enough gifts to give them out on every floor of the hospital! (We didn't go to the intensive care unit because the kids there are just too sick.) $500 to Mowell & Son Funeral Home, $106 James Avery Jewelers We met a precious little two year old boy named Elijah, along with his mom, two brothers and sister on Christmas Day at the hospital. We've gotten to know this family very well since then and have watched Elijah fight so very hard to beat his cancer. But this month, Elijah lost his battle with cancer and his family had to have quite a bit of help to bury him. Many donations were given to his family but in the end, they came up $500 short. Anna wanted desperately to help them. Two days before Elijah's funeral we received two checks in the mail - one for $500 and one for $50. We were able to pay the balance and Elijah's mom was able to grieve the loss of her baby with no thought of the bills to follow. Elijah's mom is from another country but worships at a Methodist church. She always comments on how much she loves my Methodist cross necklace. At Elijah's funeral I was able to put one like it on her, thanks to you. $257 Target, $97 Toys R Us, $200 grocery gift card, $200 gas card A six year old little girl named Faith who has the same kind of brain tumor Anna had. But Faith has to relearn how to walk, talk and feed herself. Her parents are going through a divorce and her father is in drug rehab. Faith was born weighing 1lb. and had six surgeries prior to being diagnosed with cancer. Needless to say, her life has been a struggle from the very beginning. Faith's mom has had to go back to work and they are having a very hard time financially. Faith badly needed clothes for her smaller body, and money for gasoline and food was much needed, too. We bought Faith a whole new wardrobe! We found out that she loved Sponge Bob and Anna spotted a Sponge Bob nightgown and robe and a couple of Sponge Bob shirts. She also loves Clifford so we made sure to buy Sponge Bob and Clifford toys for her as well. We didn't want to leave out her one year old brother, so we supplied him with lots of new toys, too. For mom, we provided a $200 gas card and a $200 grocery store gift card. $237 Target, $101 Toys R Us, $200 grocery gift card, $200 gas card Then there was two year old little Lucy. Again, she had the same tumor Anna did. Lucy's mom works very hard but is having trouble making ends meet because of the time she spends at the hospital. Their needs were pretty much the same as Faith's family. So, Lucy, (who loves Dora, the Explorer) got a new wardrobe including Dora clothes and Dora toys, too! Lucy's four year old brother also got his share of clothes and toys, complete with his favorite characters, Spiderman and Power Rangers. This mom's gifts were also a $200 gas card and a $200 grocery store gift card. $175 Toys R Us, $150 Target, $200 gas card A three month old baby with a particularly devastating tumor. Survival is not likely for this little girl. Her family travels four hours one-way to get to the hospital for treatment and therefore, the baby spends an awful lot of time in the car. They needed some things to help them entertain the baby in the car and we found plenty! We supplied them with lots of new toys with lights, sound and music. We even found one really cool toy that had a remote control that could be operated by a parent from the front seat! Her five year old sister will start the spring with lots of new clothes, too, many of them with Barbie logos, as well as two new pairs of shoes. We were also able to provide them with a $200 gas card to help with those long trips to the hospital. $500 Music and Arts Center (Lawrenceville) A seventeen year old boy who was struggling emotionally while undergoing chemo treatments. His friends were all talking about colleges, scholarships, their plans for the future. He felt like life was passing him by. The Make-A-Wish Foundation had granted his wish for a guitar, but surprised him with a very special one that was actually being made for Eddie Van Halen! But this boy's parents were unable to provide him with lessons. His doctors and nurses felt that guitar lessons would give him the lift and emotional outlet that he so badly needed. Thanks to many of you, Anna was able to provide him with lessons every week for more than six months! $843 to Sears Anna chose to have much needed items shipped to this family because they live in south Georgia. This is a single mom with a 4 month old baby who has cancer. (Dad has left since the baby's diagnosis.) They also have two other teenage children. One of them, a 15 year old girl, just let her mom know that she is pregnant. Way too much for mom to handle. Mom has had to go back to work and dad is not helping them much financially. They do not have a stove, and are use a hot plate for cooking right now. Anna sent them a $300 gift card to help them buy a stove. Then we went on the web and Anna picked out a crib for the 15 yr. olds' baby that's on the way, a car seat for the 4 month old, and an answering machine so they don't miss any more important messages from the hospital or doctors. $536 Target An older teenager who not only has leukemia, but made a poor choice with his girlfriend that will make him a father of a baby boy in May. He has many challenges financially, physically and intellectually. They have received some community resources but don't have nearly enough for this baby. Once again, asking Anna if she wants to shop for a baby is like asking her if she wants to eat ice cream! We had a blast shopping for this baby. Thanks to many angels, we bought tons of diapers and clothes, wipes, a stroller, a pumpkin seat, healthcare and grooming items, infant bathtub, blankets, and more! $667 Old Navy, $210 Target 7 year old boy with cancer. Don't know much about this family except that his social worker says they desperately need help with clothes. He has a five year old sister and four brothers. We bought clothes and shoes for all six of them! For the boy with cancer however, we bought LOTS of clothes! He also was wishing for a "grown-up" watch (no cartoons) and a Game boy. Those were easy to provide! We got him a really cool watch, a Game boy, and games for his Game boy as well. Just before we delivered everything to the hospital we also found out that there was also a twenty year old sister who often brought him to the hospital for his treatments. We felt that she deserved to be included, too, so we gave her a $50 gift card to Target. $150 Target, $300 gas card This was spent on a little girl in Louisiana who has cancer. We heard about her through some very good friends who told us that their family could use a little help. They drive quite a distance for her treatments so Anna thought they should have plenty of gas money. The little girl said she didn't have any of the latest movies, so Anna picked out twelve DVDs for her! Then we packed the box with a purse and lots of other "girlie" things Anna thought she would like, as well as a $300 gas card for her parents, and sent it off to Louisiana! $114 Greene Classic Limos, $225 Japanese Steak House (Most of the cost of the limo was donated.) Anna wanted very much to help provide this special night for a girl she had met named Claire. Claire's cancer had become untreatable and her parents were told she would not live to celebrate her 16th birthday. But, as we all know, God has His own schedule for all of us and Claire did live to celebrate that birthday! She wanted to go to a Japanese Steak House with several friends and family in a limo - and that's exactly what she did! We heard she had a wonderful time. Claire did pass away in March, but it was so comforting to Anna to know that her 16th birthday had been exactly what Claire had hoped it would be. $150 Electronics Store, $100 Camp Sunshine This Christmas, an X-Box was not the easiest last minute gift to find! But Stephanie was fighting bone cancer and was very sick. Her mother said she would love to have an X-Box to play with while she wasn't feeling well. A good friend helped us find one somewhere in Gainesville and Stephanie had it before Christmas! (sorry I can't remember the name of the store). On February 8th this year though, Stephanie's cancer won. Anna wanted to make a donation to Camp Sunshine in memory of Stephanie, because that is where she met her. Stephanie Phillips was 19 years old. $150 Brain Tumor Fdn. For Children, $150 Egleston (Hospital where Anna is treated) Anna chose to make both of these donations in memory of Gregory Weaver. His mom has been very supportive of Anna in spite of her own loss. Anna's Angel Fund was "born" nineteen months ago. Since then, Anna has received and donated approximately $45,000 thanks to so many of you! It is amazing to stop and consider how much kindness and generosity is reflected in that amount of money, especially when the average donation is $25-$50. That is a lot of donations! How humbling it is that you support Anna in such a special way. We are so grateful. It is also overwhelming when we stop and reflect on the impact you have had on so many families and children who have been so devastated by cancer. You truly are angels to them and to us - those of you who pray for Anna, and those of you who can support her Angel Fund, too. We appreciate all of you so very much. As always, I'm sure I have forgotten a few things since Christmas, but these are the ones that I can recall for now. Thank you for again allowing Anna the joy expressing her love and concern - and yours - for these children, through your gifts to her Angel Fund. May God bless each one of you for being such a special part of our lives. Love, Lisa, Larry and Anna Back to Updates Page


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