Hope and Help

Hope and help - it's what the MDA means to so many families and those are the same 2 feelings it raised in me last night. Watching the MDA Telethon yesterday was both uplifting and humbling. I didn't expect it to be so emotional for me, yet with every child's story and with every donation handed over, the tears flowed. I am just so blown away by how many people and corporations give to the MDA. The Nashville chapter alone hit $250,000 in the first hour and Little Rock was given over $147,000! Do you have ANY idea how many families that will help?! It takes $800 for 1 child to be able to attend MDA's summer camp, $500 to repair 1 wheelchair for a year, and it takes about $74 to fund each minute of research. If all the money made in the first hour of the telethon was put toward finding a cure, then Little Rock and Nashville combined made enough to fund about 89 hours of research! CRAZY. Good things are going to happen in the world of muscular dystrophy! I have no idea what the totals were at the end of the night bc I went to bed at 10:00. I dvr'd, I swear! I'll finish it out today at some point. See? I told ya'll I wasn't trying to make you watch all 6 hours, I didn't even make it myself!

I want to personally thank a few people I know who made a muscle last night on behalf of Andrew;

Windsong Church of Christ - I have known most of you since I was 8 years old. Some of you watched me grow up, some of you grew up with me, and some of you only know me through my parents (who still attend). When my mom called me last night with the total amount of donations she received from you all, I was blown away. I feel so blessed and honored to be a part of the Windsong family and knowing how much you care about Andrew truly humbles me. I cannot express the magnitude of my gratitude for you. Mister and I are placing membership at here at Barkers Mill Church of Christ later this month and if we get half as much support here as we have with you, we'll still be overloaded with blessings and love.

Christie, Rosie, Renee, Niki, Amanda, Yavonda, Rheta, and Tanya - <3 <3 <3. You've got your own lives and families to handle but you still set aside time to promote, donate, and educate yourselves and others about DMD and the MDA. So touched. So thankful. I hope you all know just how much that means to me.

MOM!!!! - You volunteered at the Little Rock MDA office during ALL 6 hours of the telethon as a hostess, mailed out flyers, brought in donations, and raised SO MUCH awareness all in about 10 days time. You are the best mom in the world, the best grandma in the world!!!!! There are so many people in my life whose mothers could never be half the woman you are and it reminds me just how lucky Sam, Andrew, and I are to get to have you. (Poop. Now I'm crying again.) The way you dove into this without a second thought is inspiring.

To everyone I didn't name who watched, donated, prayed - I thank all of you. To have something like this hit your family is like running face first into a brick wall. You fall hard and you are left with a pile of rubble around you, dazed and lost. It is in a moment like this when you start to see those around you clearly. The people in your life who are true friends, true brothers and sisters, reach out a hand to help you up. For those of you have done that over the last month, I thank God for you.

I am excited to see how much we can bring in over this next year and present to MDA next Labor Day. Bike ride? Walk? Sell shamrocks? So many ideas! I've got to make bumper stickers and t-shirts and keychains on my site (www.cafepress.com/geronimogifts) so I can donate all the profits. I've got to figure out a way to add a permalink on here for MDA donations, too.

Oh, and I want to say Hey! and Welcome! to my readers who have found me via Washington University, BabyCenter, Little Rock Mamas, and PPMD!

Hope and Help!