This year will be the first Christmas without our daughter Jeannie in over 36 years. She LOVED Christmas.....the sights, sounds, music, food AND celebrating the birth of our Lord. Every year, even though she had little to no money because her illness prevented her from working, she would save what little bit she did get and make sure she got some small present for all her friends. But, that was just Jeannie - giving of everything she had.....if she had a $1 and you needed it, it was yours.
I've been reflecting lately on Christmas and how much money changes hands this time of year. Don't get me wrong, I've done it too. Overspent......promised not to do it again.......then done it again the next year. Especially when it came to my kids. My theory is that I'm somehow trying to make up for the years I was not allowed to celebrate Christmas - no Christmas tree, no Santa, no presents - because my father did not believe in Christmas. He believed the whole thing had a pagan ritual beginning and therefore was bad and should be avoided at all cost.......there may be some truth to that pagan ritual thing......but here's my thought. Jesus didn't tell us to celebrate His birth, but what can be bad about having a day to celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Savior who came into this world to give us a way to have everlasting life through Him. A lot of people DO remember that this season is for celebrating His birthday, even though we are not commanded in the Bible to do so and have no example.......and ANY day that a LOT of the world is focused on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior CAN NOT BE A BAD DAY!!!
As most of you know, I have a foundation that I set up in Jeannie's name after her death that is for the sole purpose of raising money for those families who have a member with severe gastroparesis and must travel to doctors away from their area for treatment. Even if they are lucky enough to have insurance that covers the patients direct medical costs, there has to be money for gas for get to the destination, food along the way for anyone accompanying that patient - because most of them are on so much medication and are too sick to drive themselves - lodging for either both the patient and their accompanying travelers or the travelers while the patient spends time in the hospital and so many more expenses that happen when you have to LIVE away from your home for a period of time (laundry is one that no one thinks about, but eats into money quickly).......
So what has all this got to do with Christmas you ask.........well THIS is what:
So, yes, this is me, asking again for you to give. But, this time, I'm asking something different. One of the things we need with this fund is for more people to see it and read about it. Each of you has a lot of FB friends, just like me. So, here's what I'm asking. PLEASE SHARE THIS BLOG ON YOUR FB PAGE. The more eyes that see this, the more opportunities for donations. So SHARE is the first thing.......the second is this.....if you can find it in your budget this Christmas to just give a donation of $10 to this worthy cause, PLEASE do so. If you can't give $10, then give $5, or $1. You can do this anonymously. You don't have to put your name. You can just put Anonymous when it asks for a name. I can't stress enough that if ENOUGH people give just $1, that will add up to hundreds, which adds up to helping more families. BUT, if you can't give, please, please, please SHARE this blog to your page so more people will see it and perhaps give. Jesus said in Matthew 10:42 if you just give a cup of cold water to someone in need and do it in MY name, you have served ME!! Please, GIVE if you can.....but if you can't SHARE......I wish I could share the tears that have been shed by those who were so grateful for the dollars we have been able to give so far.........Do I ask this boldly and unashamedly?.....YES.......and you would too if you had seen your child suffer and die from the ravages of severe gastroparesis - for 21 years we watched helplessly, going from doctor to doctor, city to city, trying to find help.......sometimes there were no Christmas presents for us, but that's OK. We would have given EVERYTHING we had to find a cure for her........and now I will unashamedly beg for money for families suffering our same fate. I know you want to know if WE have given anything and the answer is yes. We have helped some of these families out of our own pockets...and will continue to do so as we can. We've been there....we know the desperation..............
I'm going to include the link here so you can share it. But, I'm also going to include some pictures of our Jeannie that are hard to look at.....because they are her progression downhill at the end....one of them being just two days before she died a painful death. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE......either SHARE or SHARE PLUS 10 (OR 5 OR 1 OR WHATEVER).....but, at the very least SHARE......Thank you....from all the families who live life daily with a patient with severe gastroparesis and from those patients who have very
little quality of life.........
One of the good times before the last decline started..............
The last one was two days before she died..................with her is her sister-in-law, Christie Seegars.....she is having to hold her up for this picture. She could no longer walk, talk, or swallow without gagging. She'd had multiple strokes...........June 5, 2014
TO GIVE NOW CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW:
http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/jeannie-pierce-seegars-fund-for-gastroparesis-patients/266314
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