Anna's Angel Fund Update: February 2006

Anna's Angel Fund Update: February 2006

You. Our amazing friends and family. You are truly angels in every sense of the word. Most definitely heaven sent. After I sent our last e-mail to many of you, expressing uncertainty about the future of the Angel Fund, your response was unbelievable. We prayed for direction and, at least for now, the message is so very clear. On November 1st, the balance in the Angel Fund account was $500. Between November 1st and December 31st, however, we received donations in the amount of $10,228! We were so humbled and thrilled at the possibilities of what we would be able to for these precious children and their families. Thanks so much to those of you who sent donations and to those of you who have so faithfully kept us in your prayers.

The following is a summary of the ways Anna decided to use the gifts you so lovingly entrusted to her:

First of all, on Christmas Day, the AFLAC Cancer Center was almost completely full. I believe there was only one room unoccupied. It was so disappointing, knowing that the doctors hoped to send everyone home that they possibly could. There were just too many kids who were too sick to go home - even for that one day. But we talked to one special social worker who took the time to go to every child's room on our behalf. She asked each child, "If you could have one special gift, what would it be?" Wow! Trying to grant twenty five children their most special wish - what a Christmas dream come true for us and what a challenge so close to Christmas! Is there anything that could make the holidays more meaningful or more fun?!!

So many of the children's requests were for gifts we knew would be difficult to find. But, when God sends you on a mission, it's impossible to fail. We had a blast watching it all unfold as our shopping carts overflowed, and shipments of sold out toys and coveted cds suddenly arrived as we were being told how long they had been sold out! It was amazing!

$1365.15 ($678.35 Toys R Us, $69.53 Champs Sports, $67.84 Michaels, $33.75 Bath & Body Works, $128.31 Best Buy, $12.83 Movie Trading Co., $325.36 Target, $49.18 Family Christian Stores)
There wasn't a single request we weren't able to fill! From a teenage boys' request for art supplies, to a Fairytale Dora doll, several Bratz dolls and accessories, a tricycle, three wheelers, play kitchens, baby dolls with clothes, board games, a doll stroller, Bionicles, books, a princess nightgown, educational toys, Nintendo DS Gameboys and games, Veggie Tales videos, Sponge Bob books and toys, trains, race cars, a big, soft Dora chair, Little People Farm, stuffed animals, Rapid Fire Launchers, Legos, Magnetix, Bath and Body Works gift bags, UGA jersey and gym bag, Jamie Foxx cd, lots of dvds, Elmo toys, dress-up clothes…you just wouldn't believe how long the list is. We bought all of these things in just two shopping trips. Both times, we came home and collapsed, completely exhausted - and bursting with joy! Your donations brought immeasurable joy to the children fighting cancer and blood disorders that day.

$376 Toys R Us, $53 Bath & Body Works
A very special friend of ours, Stephanie, was Anna's nurse at one time in the AFLAC Cancer Center. She now works on a different unit, where the kids have different kinds of serious problems like Cystic Fibrosis. Some of these children also had few or no visitors for Christmas. Anna really didn't want these children to be forgotten either, and we were able to buy gifts for each of them, too. Thanks to Stephanie, we had an idea about their ages and what kinds of gifts they might like. Every one of the (approximately) fifteen children on that unit also got a gift from you, our angels, that day.

$500 Airport Mortuary
This family needed $500 more to be able to bury their 13 year old daughter. When we got the phone call about this family's situation, there was almost no money in the Angel Fund account. However, within two hours of hearing about this situation, we received a voice message from Ann Butler, letting us know that one of our angels had given her a check for $500 to pass along to Anna for her Angel Fund! I was in tears as I listened to that message, knowing that God had His hand firmly on this family and their angel who had written that check.

$1746.23 Cash
This 12 year old boy was diagnosed with a glioblastoma a year ago. His only hope of survival is a miracle. This boy's father is no longer a part of the family and his mother has very significant health issues of her own. His diagnosis has been both financially and emotionally devastating. They are in jeopardy of losing their home, behind on their power and telephone bills, and owe medical bills for both this boy and his mother. Anna was able to pay on their mortgage ($1062.72), power bill ($260.47), collection agency payment for their telephone bill ($393.04) and a small balance on one medical bill ($30).

$1030 ToysRUs, $100 Cash
A family of four children and a single mom whose social worker said they were struggling terribly and could really use some help with Christmas gifts. She said this was a really good mother who was just having a very difficult time right now. Not only had she just been diagnosed with cancer herself, she had been unable to work for a while because her 10 year old daughter, who has Sickle Cell Anemia, had not been doing well. This little girl recently received a bone marrow transplant from her 12 year old brother and the results were heart-breaking. She has developed Graft vs. Host Disease (the odds were only 20%) which means that her little body is fighting her brother's marrow. This little girl and her mom spent Christmas in the intensive care unit. She has had a series of strokes and many other complications, but she's still fighting.

The happy news though is that you, Anna's Angels, made it possible for us to provide all four children and their mom with everything they wanted for Christmas! The 10 yr. old girl got two Bratz dolls, Bratz Airplane, Bratz Sound Stage, Bratz Laptop, Bratz doll clothes, Bratz doll case, talking mirror, a bike, and a helmet (our idea). The 13 yr. old boy got an X-Box Game System and two games, Electronic Battleship game, Risk board game, and a Footlocker gift card for shoes. For the 7yr. old girl, we brought a baby doll with clothes, a doll stroller, an Easy Bake Oven with four mixes, a play kitchen with play food, and a Leapster Learning System with three games. And finally, the 3 yr. old boy had asked for (and got!) a tricycle, a helmet (again, our idea), matchbox cars and track, a baseball with a bat and glove, a basketball, and a Little Tykes basketball hoop. Mom got a $100 to spend on herself

$484 ToysRUs
We received a request from a social worker about this sister and brother who so desperately needed our help. The 7 year old girl has been battling leukemia. This very sick little girl and her brother had been through a terribly traumatic, life-changing situation. Both children had been removed from the custody of their parents and are living with their grandparents. We learned that the reason they were taken out of their home was because both parents were alcoholics and drug addicts, and were stealing and the child's pain medications. It's unbearable to even imagine what these children's lives must have been like over the last several months. But, because of you, Santa Claus visited them this year in a very big way! We took their "wish lists" to ToysRUs and bought everything they asked Santa for! The little girl with leukemia is very into the Bratz dolls (like so many other little girls!). We were able to find all of the Bratz dolls and accessories she was asking for, as well as a Doodle Bear, a Playschool game, Easy Bake Real Meal Oven, Clue Haunted Mansion board game, Monopoly 70th Anniversary board game, and a Yu-Gi-Oh collector box. Santa brought her 17 month old little brother a huge Lego building tub, a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe, a gas pump for the Coupe, Books, Stuffed Winnie the Pooh, Leap Frog Learn Around Playground, and a Little Touch Leap Pad Learning System.

$197 Old Navy, $142.16 Wal-Mart, $85.07 Bath & Body Works
This 13 year old girl's life so far has been a tragedy. Not only does she have cancer, but she is in the custody of Family and Children Services because she has been physically and sexually abused by family members. She has significant mental health issues as a result of her horrible life situation and, when she isn't being treated at Egleston, she lives at an in-patient mental hospital. Because she has no contact with family, there was no one left in her life to bring Christmas gifts to her. But you let her know there are good people in the world, many who are willing to be angels in her life. She got lots of new clothes and a huge sequined bag of pampering goodies from Bath and Body Works for the holidays. But I think the greatest gift you gave this young teenager was that you let her know that she is worthy of being loved - a priceless gift for her.

$227 Babies R Us
Mom of a two year old little girl needed a stroller. This little girl was a bone marrow transplant patient. Her mother had hurt her shoulder badly and it was very painful for her to carry her baby girl. We delivered a stroller, stroller storage bag, stroller cup holder, diapers, wipes, and sippee cups to the hospital.

$700 Butterfly Fund
This was a check sent to the Brain Tumor Foundation's Butterfly Fund on behalf of a family. This family has a fourteen year old daughter who is fighting an Optic Pathway Glioma tumor that had spread to her spine. Transportation is a huge issue for them and as a result, she has missed several appointments for treatments. In addition, they have significant financial issues due to her illness. They owed $600 to the power company and their power had been turned off. They also had a delinquent $100 water bill. Apparently their situation had been even worse, but the Salvation Army recently stepped in to help. Because of our angels' generosity, Anna was able to wipe out these two debts totaling $700.

$43.87 Blockbuster
Spent on a family who lost their 7 year old daughter/sister to cancer. The family seemed to have what they needed financially, but watching them grieve left us with such an awful, helpless feeling. Their mom's only request was for something to distract their other four children, to help them think about something else for a while. We couldn't do anything to physically entertain them because they live several hours away, so we sent them a package from Blockbuster so they could rent movies, and munch on lots of popcorn and candy. We sent a $25 Blockbuster Gift Card, microwave theater popcorn, lots of candy, and a card.

$100 Books A Million, $100 Best Buy, $300 Cash
Gift Cards for an amazing 15 year old girl with a glioblastoma tumor. This type of tumor is particularly deadly and, needless to say, her prognosis is very poor. She is a very bright and exceptionally gifted young woman. She is an honor student, an award winning artist, and a teen reporter for her city's newspaper (not a small city either!). She has hopes of attending the Air Force Academy, and then going on to medical school to become a neurosurgeon. Her mother said that one of the things she loves to do most right now is read, although they expect her tumor to cause blindness before too long. Also because of her tumor, she is almost completely paralyzed now. But, she does still have the ability to type and loves playing on the computer. In light of her interests in reading and playing computer games, Anna sent her these two gift cards. We also sent her parents a much needed check for $300 to help with their medical bills.

$160 City of Augusta Housing Authority, $200 Kroger Gift Card
The money was paid to the Housing Authority on behalf of a mother whose husband had just left her and her 6 year old daughter. Her daughter was fighting a medullolastoma brain tumor, the same type of tumor that Anna had. She had to leave her home and was moving into an apartment with her daughter. The Kroger gift card was just to help them fill their pantry when they got there.

$266 Sears
This 4 year old little boy has leukemia and severe brain damage. He didn't have clothing that fit him and his social worker asked if we might be able to provide him with a few new, comfortable outfits. Of course! He got lots of new pajamas (still spends most of his time in the hospital), t-shirts, socks, underwear, several warm-ups and sweats.

$251.05 Target, $160.38 ToysRUs, $39.56 Best Buy
This money was spent for a family whose child was just diagnosed with Leukemia. It's a single mom with two little boys, ages one and four. The four year old is the patient. This mom and her two little boys live in a room they rent in a mobile home from some friends. They badly needed clothing, shoes and basic things for the baby (e.g. diapers, wipes, baby wash, diaper rash medicine, etc.) We bought clothes and tennis shoes for both boys, tons of diapers, wipes, and baby care items. Their social worker also said she would love for them to get a few toys and books, too, if we were able to provide them. Thanks to you guys, we definitely were able! For the four year old we bought several games, Legos and a building base plate, a Little People Barn with lots of animals and people to play with, and two movies. His one year old little brother got a puzzle, a Poppin' Pals toy, Real Sound Keys, and a piano/xylophone. At Best Buy we bought three more movies that both boys could enjoy.

$174.30 Burlington Coat Factory, $255 Target, $415.39 BTFC Butterfly Fund
These parents have two precious little girls, a one year old and a three year old. The one year old has been diagnosed with a very rare tumor called an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid. This family is struggling terribly in so many ways. They have the obvious issues of coping with their baby's illness, but also have many others. Their car is very unreliable and in need of expensive repairs. This is particularly important because their commute to chemotherapy treatments is about thirty miles one way. Obviously getting to those treatments is not optional. They were $415.39 behind on their power and gas bills. Their social worker noted that mom didn't have a coat. The dad just got a job as a waiter and is required to wear nice jeans and a white, long sleeved, collared shirt to work. He only had one shirt and he needed jeans, also.

We were able to pay their past due payments on their power and gas bills, buy a warm coat for mom, and lots of cute clothes and shoes for the two little girls. (Instead of paying the power and gas bills directly, we sent a check to the Brain Tumor Foundation's Butterfly Fund, and had them pay the bills.) After hearing that the older little girl loved Dora the Explorer and princess things, we had fun buying the girls matching princess nightgowns, and some Dora clothes. We also bought diapers and "training" toothbrushes (?!) for the girls with Dora the Explorer toothpaste. Dad has three more white shirts and three more pairs of jeans now, too, so he won't have to wash his clothes every night for work the next day! We are still working on the possibility of helping them with car repairs, too.

As always, I'm struggling to remember all the little faces, all the stories, and requests for help. I dig through receipts, notes, e-mails, and the checkbook register, hoping that I haven't already forgotten any special people or memories. Our own lives are still so far from what we used to consider "normal" that it complicates my efforts to keep things as organized as I would like to. I am sorry for that. But I want you to know that we treasure having you in our lives. You put Anna in such a special, enviable position of being able to let these precious children and families know that there are people out there, complete strangers, who truly care about them. You continue to show them that the world is full of people with loving hearts, open arms, and even open checkbooks, who don't even know their names. And those are called angels. May God bless each one of you for your gifts and for your kindness to them and to us.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Lisa, Larry and Anna

Back to Updates Page


		*Anna's Angel Fund Update: February 2006* You. Our amazing friends and family. You are truly angels in every sense of the word. Most definitely heaven sent. After I sent our last e-mail to many of you, expressing uncertainty about the future of the Angel Fund, your response was unbelievable. We prayed for direction and, at least for now, the message is so very clear. On November 1st, the balance in the Angel Fund account was $500. Between November 1st and December 31st, however, we received donations in the amount of $10,228! We were so humbled and thrilled at the possibilities of what we would be able to for these precious children and their families. Thanks so much to those of you who sent donations and to those of you who have so faithfully kept us in your prayers. The following is a summary of the ways Anna decided to use the gifts you so lovingly entrusted to her: First of all, on Christmas Day, the AFLAC Cancer Center was almost completely full. I believe there was only one room unoccupied. It was so disappointing, knowing that the doctors hoped to send everyone home that they possibly could. There were just too many kids who were too sick to go home - even for that one day. But we talked to one special social worker who took the time to go to every child's room on our behalf. She asked each child, "If you could have one special gift, what would it be?" Wow! Trying to grant twenty five children their most special wish - what a Christmas dream come true for us and what a challenge so close to Christmas! Is there anything that could make the holidays more meaningful or more fun?!! So many of the children's requests were for gifts we knew would be difficult to find. But, when God sends you on a mission, it's impossible to fail. We had a blast watching it all unfold as our shopping carts overflowed, and shipments of sold out toys and coveted cds suddenly arrived as we were being told how long they had been sold out! It was amazing! $1365.15 ($678.35 Toys R Us, $69.53 Champs Sports, $67.84 Michaels, $33.75 Bath & Body Works, $128.31 Best Buy, $12.83 Movie Trading Co., $325.36 Target, $49.18 Family Christian Stores) There wasn't a single request we weren't able to fill! From a teenage boys' request for art supplies, to a Fairytale Dora doll, several Bratz dolls and accessories, a tricycle, three wheelers, play kitchens, baby dolls with clothes, board games, a doll stroller, Bionicles, books, a princess nightgown, educational toys, Nintendo DS Gameboys and games, Veggie Tales videos, Sponge Bob books and toys, trains, race cars, a big, soft Dora chair, Little People Farm, stuffed animals, Rapid Fire Launchers, Legos, Magnetix, Bath and Body Works gift bags, UGA jersey and gym bag, Jamie Foxx cd, lots of dvds, Elmo toys, dress-up clothes…you just wouldn't believe how long the list is. We bought all of these things in just two shopping trips. Both times, we came home and collapsed, completely exhausted - and bursting with joy! Your donations brought immeasurable joy to the children fighting cancer and blood disorders that day. $376 Toys R Us, $53 Bath & Body Works A very special friend of ours, Stephanie, was Anna's nurse at one time in the AFLAC Cancer Center. She now works on a different unit, where the kids have different kinds of serious problems like Cystic Fibrosis. Some of these children also had few or no visitors for Christmas. Anna really didn't want these children to be forgotten either, and we were able to buy gifts for each of them, too. Thanks to Stephanie, we had an idea about their ages and what kinds of gifts they might like. Every one of the (approximately) fifteen children on that unit also got a gift from you, our angels, that day. $500 Airport Mortuary This family needed $500 more to be able to bury their 13 year old daughter. When we got the phone call about this family's situation, there was almost no money in the Angel Fund account. However, within two hours of hearing about this situation, we received a voice message from Ann Butler, letting us know that one of our angels had given her a check for $500 to pass along to Anna for her Angel Fund! I was in tears as I listened to that message, knowing that God had His hand firmly on this family and their angel who had written that check. $1746.23 Cash This 12 year old boy was diagnosed with a glioblastoma a year ago. His only hope of survival is a miracle. This boy's father is no longer a part of the family and his mother has very significant health issues of her own. His diagnosis has been both financially and emotionally devastating. They are in jeopardy of losing their home, behind on their power and telephone bills, and owe medical bills for both this boy and his mother. Anna was able to pay on their mortgage ($1062.72), power bill ($260.47), collection agency payment for their telephone bill ($393.04) and a small balance on one medical bill ($30). $1030 ToysRUs, $100 Cash A family of four children and a single mom whose social worker said they were struggling terribly and could really use some help with Christmas gifts. She said this was a really good mother who was just having a very difficult time right now. Not only had she just been diagnosed with cancer herself, she had been unable to work for a while because her 10 year old daughter, who has Sickle Cell Anemia, had not been doing well. This little girl recently received a bone marrow transplant from her 12 year old brother and the results were heart-breaking. She has developed Graft vs. Host Disease (the odds were only 20%) which means that her little body is fighting her brother's marrow. This little girl and her mom spent Christmas in the intensive care unit. She has had a series of strokes and many other complications, but she's still fighting. The happy news though is that you, Anna's Angels, made it possible for us to provide all four children and their mom with everything they wanted for Christmas! The 10 yr. old girl got two Bratz dolls, Bratz Airplane, Bratz Sound Stage, Bratz Laptop, Bratz doll clothes, Bratz doll case, talking mirror, a bike, and a helmet (our idea). The 13 yr. old boy got an X-Box Game System and two games, Electronic Battleship game, Risk board game, and a Footlocker gift card for shoes. For the 7yr. old girl, we brought a baby doll with clothes, a doll stroller, an Easy Bake Oven with four mixes, a play kitchen with play food, and a Leapster Learning System with three games. And finally, the 3 yr. old boy had asked for (and got!) a tricycle, a helmet (again, our idea), matchbox cars and track, a baseball with a bat and glove, a basketball, and a Little Tykes basketball hoop. Mom got a $100 to spend on herself $484 ToysRUs We received a request from a social worker about this sister and brother who so desperately needed our help. The 7 year old girl has been battling leukemia. This very sick little girl and her brother had been through a terribly traumatic, life-changing situation. Both children had been removed from the custody of their parents and are living with their grandparents. We learned that the reason they were taken out of their home was because both parents were alcoholics and drug addicts, and were stealing and the child's pain medications. It's unbearable to even imagine what these children's lives must have been like over the last several months. But, because of you, Santa Claus visited them this year in a very big way! We took their "wish lists" to ToysRUs and bought everything they asked Santa for! The little girl with leukemia is very into the Bratz dolls (like so many other little girls!). We were able to find all of the Bratz dolls and accessories she was asking for, as well as a Doodle Bear, a Playschool game, Easy Bake Real Meal Oven, Clue Haunted Mansion board game, Monopoly 70th Anniversary board game, and a Yu-Gi-Oh collector box. Santa brought her 17 month old little brother a huge Lego building tub, a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe, a gas pump for the Coupe, Books, Stuffed Winnie the Pooh, Leap Frog Learn Around Playground, and a Little Touch Leap Pad Learning System. $197 Old Navy, $142.16 Wal-Mart, $85.07 Bath & Body Works This 13 year old girl's life so far has been a tragedy. Not only does she have cancer, but she is in the custody of Family and Children Services because she has been physically and sexually abused by family members. She has significant mental health issues as a result of her horrible life situation and, when she isn't being treated at Egleston, she lives at an in-patient mental hospital. Because she has no contact with family, there was no one left in her life to bring Christmas gifts to her. But you let her know there are good people in the world, many who are willing to be angels in her life. She got lots of new clothes and a huge sequined bag of pampering goodies from Bath and Body Works for the holidays. But I think the greatest gift you gave this young teenager was that you let her know that she is worthy of being loved - a priceless gift for her. $227 Babies R Us Mom of a two year old little girl needed a stroller. This little girl was a bone marrow transplant patient. Her mother had hurt her shoulder badly and it was very painful for her to carry her baby girl. We delivered a stroller, stroller storage bag, stroller cup holder, diapers, wipes, and sippee cups to the hospital. $700 Butterfly Fund This was a check sent to the Brain Tumor Foundation's Butterfly Fund on behalf of a family. This family has a fourteen year old daughter who is fighting an Optic Pathway Glioma tumor that had spread to her spine. Transportation is a huge issue for them and as a result, she has missed several appointments for treatments. In addition, they have significant financial issues due to her illness. They owed $600 to the power company and their power had been turned off. They also had a delinquent $100 water bill. Apparently their situation had been even worse, but the Salvation Army recently stepped in to help. Because of our angels' generosity, Anna was able to wipe out these two debts totaling $700. $43.87 Blockbuster Spent on a family who lost their 7 year old daughter/sister to cancer. The family seemed to have what they needed financially, but watching them grieve left us with such an awful, helpless feeling. Their mom's only request was for something to distract their other four children, to help them think about something else for a while. We couldn't do anything to physically entertain them because they live several hours away, so we sent them a package from Blockbuster so they could rent movies, and munch on lots of popcorn and candy. We sent a $25 Blockbuster Gift Card, microwave theater popcorn, lots of candy, and a card. $100 Books A Million, $100 Best Buy, $300 Cash Gift Cards for an amazing 15 year old girl with a glioblastoma tumor. This type of tumor is particularly deadly and, needless to say, her prognosis is very poor. She is a very bright and exceptionally gifted young woman. She is an honor student, an award winning artist, and a teen reporter for her city's newspaper (not a small city either!). She has hopes of attending the Air Force Academy, and then going on to medical school to become a neurosurgeon. Her mother said that one of the things she loves to do most right now is read, although they expect her tumor to cause blindness before too long. Also because of her tumor, she is almost completely paralyzed now. But, she does still have the ability to type and loves playing on the computer. In light of her interests in reading and playing computer games, Anna sent her these two gift cards. We also sent her parents a much needed check for $300 to help with their medical bills. $160 City of Augusta Housing Authority, $200 Kroger Gift Card The money was paid to the Housing Authority on behalf of a mother whose husband had just left her and her 6 year old daughter. Her daughter was fighting a medullolastoma brain tumor, the same type of tumor that Anna had. She had to leave her home and was moving into an apartment with her daughter. The Kroger gift card was just to help them fill their pantry when they got there. $266 Sears This 4 year old little boy has leukemia and severe brain damage. He didn't have clothing that fit him and his social worker asked if we might be able to provide him with a few new, comfortable outfits. Of course! He got lots of new pajamas (still spends most of his time in the hospital), t-shirts, socks, underwear, several warm-ups and sweats. $251.05 Target, $160.38 ToysRUs, $39.56 Best Buy This money was spent for a family whose child was just diagnosed with Leukemia. It's a single mom with two little boys, ages one and four. The four year old is the patient. This mom and her two little boys live in a room they rent in a mobile home from some friends. They badly needed clothing, shoes and basic things for the baby (e.g. diapers, wipes, baby wash, diaper rash medicine, etc.) We bought clothes and tennis shoes for both boys, tons of diapers, wipes, and baby care items. Their social worker also said she would love for them to get a few toys and books, too, if we were able to provide them. Thanks to you guys, we definitely were able! For the four year old we bought several games, Legos and a building base plate, a Little People Barn with lots of animals and people to play with, and two movies. His one year old little brother got a puzzle, a Poppin' Pals toy, Real Sound Keys, and a piano/xylophone. At Best Buy we bought three more movies that both boys could enjoy. $174.30 Burlington Coat Factory, $255 Target, $415.39 BTFC Butterfly Fund These parents have two precious little girls, a one year old and a three year old. The one year old has been diagnosed with a very rare tumor called an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid. This family is struggling terribly in so many ways. They have the obvious issues of coping with their baby's illness, but also have many others. Their car is very unreliable and in need of expensive repairs. This is particularly important because their commute to chemotherapy treatments is about thirty miles one way. Obviously getting to those treatments is not optional. They were $415.39 behind on their power and gas bills. Their social worker noted that mom didn't have a coat. The dad just got a job as a waiter and is required to wear nice jeans and a white, long sleeved, collared shirt to work. He only had one shirt and he needed jeans, also. We were able to pay their past due payments on their power and gas bills, buy a warm coat for mom, and lots of cute clothes and shoes for the two little girls. (Instead of paying the power and gas bills directly, we sent a check to the Brain Tumor Foundation's Butterfly Fund, and had them pay the bills.) After hearing that the older little girl loved Dora the Explorer and princess things, we had fun buying the girls matching princess nightgowns, and some Dora clothes. We also bought diapers and "training" toothbrushes (?!) for the girls with Dora the Explorer toothpaste. Dad has three more white shirts and three more pairs of jeans now, too, so he won't have to wash his clothes every night for work the next day! We are still working on the possibility of helping them with car repairs, too. As always, I'm struggling to remember all the little faces, all the stories, and requests for help. I dig through receipts, notes, e-mails, and the checkbook register, hoping that I haven't already forgotten any special people or memories. Our own lives are still so far from what we used to consider "normal" that it complicates my efforts to keep things as organized as I would like to. I am sorry for that. But I want you to know that we treasure having you in our lives. You put Anna in such a special, enviable position of being able to let these precious children and families know that there are people out there, complete strangers, who truly care about them. You continue to show them that the world is full of people with loving hearts, open arms, and even open checkbooks, who don't even know their names. And those are called angels. May God bless each one of you for your gifts and for your kindness to them and to us. Happy Valentine's Day! Love, Lisa, Larry and Anna Back to Updates Page


	Copyright 2006 Anna's Angel Fund Design by Katy Morgan Designs Email the Webmaster