July 22, 2006

Kids you should know

A couple weeks ago, right around the time my friend passed away, my Mom told me about this little girl Julia. Julia is only two years old and has been diagnosed with cancer in the form of an aggressive inoperable brain tumor. My Mom knows her grandmother and told me how devastated the family is with this recent diagnosis. Julia has a twin sister and two loving parents who are having to make some of the hardest decisions they’ve ever made. Julia is currently having chemotherapy and as of tonight she is back in the hospital due to a fever and a very low blood count. They have a web site at Caring Bridge where you can track Julia’s progress and leave her and her family well-wishes. Even if you’re mostly a lurker here, please go over there and say hello in the guest book and send your thoughts and prayers. They cherish messages from people who care about them and their daughter. It gives the family strength to know there are so many people thinking about them and little Julia.

Another kid you should know about is my friend’s son. His name is Chase and he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes a few years ago. He has started writing a newsletter about kids with diabetes and has done fund-raisers on his own to raise money for kids with diabetes. One of his fundraisers provided Crystal Light packs for kids to put in their water bottles at school lunches. Now he has another mission. He is attempting to write a book by collecting 100 stories from others who have been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. If you have Type 1 Diabetes and are interested in writing up your story, you can email Chase at: whenigotdiabetes@aol.com. If you know of someone who might be interested, please pass along this information. Chase is a great kid and is really trying to help other kids who have been recently diagnosed by having a book filled with stories from others who have been diagnosed with the disease and are living with it, to let them know they’re not alone.

Some other amazing little ones now have their stories published over at Birth Stories and the response has been great. Check them out, and keep the submissions coming. The latest story is from Izzy of Izzymom.