Anna's Angel Fund Update: October 2006

Anna's Angel Fund Update: October 2006

Dear Friends and Family,

I know it has been entirely too long since you have heard from us. The pace of our lives just seems to get faster and faster, and change is forever on the horizon for our family. We are so thankful though that most everything we have been dealing with lately is something positive!

My heart is so full and I have so much to catch you up on! As I finally sit down to write you, I hope you will forgive my lack of eloquence and organization, because I'm so anxious just to finally get this out to you and let you all know what has been happening in Anna's life, and in ours, too!

First, I want to tell you about a precious little boy named Mason, who happens to be the son of our dentist. Well, Mason celebrated his 5th birthday but instead of having all of his friends bring gifts for him ~ you guessed it ~ this 5 year old little boy asked his friends to bring gifts for the children in the AFLAC Cancer Center, at Egleston. And Mason didn't just bring a few. He brought 31 gifts!

Privacy issues for the children and their families were a big hurdle that we had to find a way around, but eventually one of the awesome social workers came up with a great idea for this sweet child. With a little help, "Mason's Store" was set up and the children came and chose a toy. Anna loved every minute of helping Mason with his store and helping him understand why the children looked the way they did or why they had different machines hooked up to them. As each child came in, Mason watched them scanning the tables loaded with toys he'd brought, sometimes offering suggestions about "really cool ones" and telling them which toys he thought they would most enjoy. What a special guy. And what an awesome reflection on his mom and dad. They're pretty amazing, too. Five years old. Wow.

Okay, and then there's more. So much more! After we were so touched and blessed by our awesome friend, Mason, Anna was asked by a local newspaper called the DeKalb Neighbor, to let them write an article about her work with the Angel Fund. After that was printed, a woman who is a senior producer for CNN called and said she had gotten a copy of the DeKalb Neighbor at her home. She told us that she'd been searching everywhere for stories like Anna's. She was working on a series and needed five different stories to show on Anderson Cooper 360. Well, it was definitely a new experience for us, but Anna handled it with grace and we were very proud of her. I think they literally filmed about seven hours over two days, for a segment about Anna that we think will be 90 seconds long! The producer told us it would be shown on a Friday night in October and she would let us know exactly when. Well, now it has been pushed to early March! Boy, do we have a lot to learn about how all this works.

Soon after that, we were contacted to see if Anna would be willing to let the AJC write an article about her. We actually thought it was going to be focused more on the "Quiet Heroes" luncheon and CURE (www.curechildhoodcancer.org), but it didn't turn out that way at all. The donations to Anna's Angel Fund began to pour in after the article ran in the newspaper. At the last minute it I ran down to open a P.O. Box to keep the AJC from publishing our home address (another one of those things I'm learning "on the fly"!). For about a week, Anna didn't receive a single donation. Then, suddenly one day, I checked her P.O. Box on my way to pick her up from school and there were 71 envelopes inside!! I scattered them all over the passenger seat in the car to show her just how many there were!! I wish I'd had my camera so I could show all of you her reaction. The joy we shared that day was immeasurable. Needless to say, the following weeks were not quite like that one, but the donations have continued to trickle in from the article.

In the midst of all these blessings, there's always a thread of sadness that has a powerful hold on our hearts. There are always so many of our little friends fighting for their lives in the battle against pediatric cancer. Right now, two of our most special friends, Catie and Joshua, could really use your prayers. And then, there are our grown-up friends who are fighting their own battles with this monster as well. Things have taken a particularly sadder turn lately because we continue to hear about how hard our friends Doug and Rhodonna are fighting. But now things had become especially difficult for our dear friends, Debbie, Stefanie and Jake as they grieved the loss of their husband and father. While this dear man, Jack, and his family were fighting so hard for his life, he had the graciousness to look ahead and ask that Anna's Angel Fund be one of two charities he would like for people to contribute to, in his memory. As a result, Anna has received a number of donations in Jack's memory as well.

And to add to this sweeeet story, one week after Jake and Stefanie lost their dad, they (and Jake's girlfriend, Val) took Anna to Homecoming at her new high school, so she could see what it was like. I can't imagine how Anna must have felt. It was a wonderful night and Jake treated her like a princess. She hasn't really been in school since the sixth grade (she's now in the tenth grade) and there are so many things about growing up that are new to her. What a wonderful introduction. Thank you, guys.

Because of the way absolute strangers have responded to the AJC article, because of Jack, and several of you, Anna has made her largest single purchase ever with your contributions to the Angel Fund. It was an awesome and exciting day for her, for us, and for the recipients. Anna was able to buy a much-needed, used van(!!) for a family who desperately needed transportation to get adequate care for their 9 year old son. Their's is such a sad story, but because of Anna's angels they have hope and peace of mind that they can get to the hospital when necessary. I'll save the details for the next Angel Fund Update, but I know you will be so touched by their story.

This month, Anna also received some donations from a girl who had seen the AJC article. She had never met Anna but told her that she was celebrating her sixteenth birthday with a Sweet Sixteen party, and planned to ask her friends to make donations for Anna's Angel Fund. It was such a sweet thing for her to do and Anna was so very grateful to her.

Well, as I mentioned previously, we really do have a lot to learn about the media. But one thing I have already learned is that just because we are told something is going to happen, doesn't mean it will. We have been contacted several times by people who want to do stories about Anna or make donations to her Angel Fund. But, for many different reasons they often don't happen. I mention this because we have some really BIG NEWS, but who knows if it will actually work out the way we would hope…

Okay…are you sitting down??...A reporter and photographer from People Magazine are flying in to see Anna this week! Isn't that just amazing?! We've also gotten a call from TBS about having her appear on a show called TBS StoryLine that is shown on Saturdays. Anna is just thrilled at the thought of what she might be able to do for the kids at the hospital. Me? I'm extremely overwhelmed and praying very hard that we will never let down the God who gave Anna a second chance at life and an opportunity to make a difference for so many others.

I'm pretty snowed under with writing and sending thank you notes, working with an attorney to get our affairs in order for the IRS as the Fund grows, writing an article about Anna for a newsletter, copy for a brochure about her Angel Fund, getting a website up and running…right now it is all really overwhelming.

And in the midst of all this, can you believe we're still just praying for a friend at school??...It feels like God has been working overtime in our lives lately, but isn't it amazing how He chooses to answer prayers? So far, Anna still doesn't really have a good friend at school; instead He has chosen to fill her life with so many other good things that she can't possibly focus on it for too long.

Okay, well I think you are up to date on the highlights now. Please know that if I am out of touch with you, it is not personal. Please be patient with me! Hopefully things will slow down a little bit for us after this week. I will try to get an Angel Fund Update put together soon as well. If you have time to check the Yahoo Group website, I've posted lots of pictures there from Anna's first homecoming, "Mason's Store" and Anna with the van she purchased with the Angel Fund donations!! (If you are not a part of the Yahoo Group and would like to be, please let me know! We'll just need your email address.)

We are so appreciative of your support, your love and your friendship. Please pray for Anna to continue to remain cancer free and for wisdom as we venture into this new, unfamiliar territory.

Love,

Lisa

Back to Updates Page


		*Anna's Angel Fund Update: October 2006* Dear Friends and Family, I know it has been entirely too long since you have heard from us. The pace of our lives just seems to get faster and faster, and change is forever on the horizon for our family. We are so thankful though that most everything we have been dealing with lately is something positive! My heart is so full and I have so much to catch you up on! As I finally sit down to write you, I hope you will forgive my lack of eloquence and organization, because I'm so anxious just to finally get this out to you and let you all know what has been happening in Anna's life, and in ours, too! First, I want to tell you about a precious little boy named Mason, who happens to be the son of our dentist. Well, Mason celebrated his 5th birthday but instead of having all of his friends bring gifts for him ~ you guessed it ~ this 5 year old little boy asked his friends to bring gifts for the children in the AFLAC Cancer Center, at Egleston. And Mason didn't just bring a few. He brought 31 gifts! Privacy issues for the children and their families were a big hurdle that we had to find a way around, but eventually one of the awesome social workers came up with a great idea for this sweet child. With a little help, "Mason's Store" was set up and the children came and chose a toy. Anna loved every minute of helping Mason with his store and helping him understand why the children looked the way they did or why they had different machines hooked up to them. As each child came in, Mason watched them scanning the tables loaded with toys he'd brought, sometimes offering suggestions about "really cool ones" and telling them which toys he thought they would most enjoy. What a special guy. And what an awesome reflection on his mom and dad. They're pretty amazing, too. Five years old. Wow. Okay, and then there's more. So much more! After we were so touched and blessed by our awesome friend, Mason, Anna was asked by a local newspaper called the DeKalb Neighbor, to let them write an article about her work with the Angel Fund. After that was printed, a woman who is a senior producer for CNN called and said she had gotten a copy of the DeKalb Neighbor at her home. She told us that she'd been searching everywhere for stories like Anna's. She was working on a series and needed five different stories to show on Anderson Cooper 360. Well, it was definitely a new experience for us, but Anna handled it with grace and we were very proud of her. I think they literally filmed about seven hours over two days, for a segment about Anna that we think will be 90 seconds long! The producer told us it would be shown on a Friday night in October and she would let us know exactly when. Well, now it has been pushed to early March! Boy, do we have a lot to learn about how all this works. Soon after that, we were contacted to see if Anna would be willing to let the AJC write an article about her. We actually thought it was going to be focused more on the "Quiet Heroes" luncheon and CURE (www.curechildhoodcancer.org), but it didn't turn out that way at all. The donations to Anna's Angel Fund began to pour in after the article ran in the newspaper. At the last minute it I ran down to open a P.O. Box to keep the AJC from publishing our home address (another one of those things I'm learning "on the fly"!). For about a week, Anna didn't receive a single donation. Then, suddenly one day, I checked her P.O. Box on my way to pick her up from school and there were 71 envelopes inside!! I scattered them all over the passenger seat in the car to show her just how many there were!! I wish I'd had my camera so I could show all of you her reaction. The joy we shared that day was immeasurable. Needless to say, the following weeks were not quite like that one, but the donations have continued to trickle in from the article. In the midst of all these blessings, there's always a thread of sadness that has a powerful hold on our hearts. There are always so many of our little friends fighting for their lives in the battle against pediatric cancer. Right now, two of our most special friends, Catie and Joshua, could really use your prayers. And then, there are our grown-up friends who are fighting their own battles with this monster as well. Things have taken a particularly sadder turn lately because we continue to hear about how hard our friends Doug and Rhodonna are fighting. But now things had become especially difficult for our dear friends, Debbie, Stefanie and Jake as they grieved the loss of their husband and father. While this dear man, Jack, and his family were fighting so hard for his life, he had the graciousness to look ahead and ask that Anna's Angel Fund be one of two charities he would like for people to contribute to, in his memory. As a result, Anna has received a number of donations in Jack's memory as well. And to add to this sweeeet story, one week after Jake and Stefanie lost their dad, they (and Jake's girlfriend, Val) took Anna to Homecoming at her new high school, so she could see what it was like. I can't imagine how Anna must have felt. It was a wonderful night and Jake treated her like a princess. She hasn't really been in school since the sixth grade (she's now in the tenth grade) and there are so many things about growing up that are new to her. What a wonderful introduction. Thank you, guys. Because of the way absolute strangers have responded to the AJC article, because of Jack, and several of you, Anna has made her largest single purchase ever with your contributions to the Angel Fund. It was an awesome and exciting day for her, for us, and for the recipients. Anna was able to buy a much-needed, used van(!!) for a family who desperately needed transportation to get adequate care for their 9 year old son. Their's is such a sad story, but because of Anna's angels they have hope and peace of mind that they can get to the hospital when necessary. I'll save the details for the next Angel Fund Update, but I know you will be so touched by their story. This month, Anna also received some donations from a girl who had seen the AJC article. She had never met Anna but told her that she was celebrating her sixteenth birthday with a Sweet Sixteen party, and planned to ask her friends to make donations for Anna's Angel Fund. It was such a sweet thing for her to do and Anna was so very grateful to her. Well, as I mentioned previously, we really do have a lot to learn about the media. But one thing I have already learned is that just because we are told something is going to happen, doesn't mean it will. We have been contacted several times by people who want to do stories about Anna or make donations to her Angel Fund. But, for many different reasons they often don't happen. I mention this because we have some really BIG NEWS, but who knows if it will actually work out the way we would hope… Okay…are you sitting down??...A reporter and photographer from People Magazine are flying in to see Anna this week! Isn't that just amazing?! We've also gotten a call from TBS about having her appear on a show called TBS StoryLine that is shown on Saturdays. Anna is just thrilled at the thought of what she might be able to do for the kids at the hospital. Me? I'm extremely overwhelmed and praying very hard that we will never let down the God who gave Anna a second chance at life and an opportunity to make a difference for so many others. I'm pretty snowed under with writing and sending thank you notes, working with an attorney to get our affairs in order for the IRS as the Fund grows, writing an article about Anna for a newsletter, copy for a brochure about her Angel Fund, getting a website up and running…right now it is all really overwhelming. And in the midst of all this, can you believe we're still just praying for a friend at school??...It feels like God has been working overtime in our lives lately, but isn't it amazing how He chooses to answer prayers? So far, Anna still doesn't really have a good friend at school; instead He has chosen to fill her life with so many other good things that she can't possibly focus on it for too long. Okay, well I think you are up to date on the highlights now. Please know that if I am out of touch with you, it is not personal. Please be patient with me! Hopefully things will slow down a little bit for us after this week. I will try to get an Angel Fund Update put together soon as well. If you have time to check the Yahoo Group website, I've posted lots of pictures there from Anna's first homecoming, "Mason's Store" and Anna with the van she purchased with the Angel Fund donations!! (If you are not a part of the Yahoo Group and would like to be, please let me know! We'll just need your email address.) We are so appreciative of your support, your love and your friendship. Please pray for Anna to continue to remain cancer free and for wisdom as we venture into this new, unfamiliar territory. Love, Lisa Back to Updates Page


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