As the Thanksgiving/Christmas seasons approach, the desire to reflect on one's blessings and give back to those who aren't as blessed is at its peak. Particularly for me this year, I am thankful that my husband hasn't spent any amount of time away from us like he has in previous years.
On that note, I am spending some time this week raising money for my old friend Maggie. I have previously spoken of Maggie on my blog: she is a single mother of three who needs a double lung transplant. Maggie arrived in Pittsburgh a few days ago; she is on the transplant list there for new lungs. Unfortunately, Maggie's three children are without her. They remain in Norfolk, hopeful that their mother will come back to them but worried that she won't. She will be away from her family this Christmas season, and she has a long struggle ahead of her.
Maggie's transplant is covered by Medicaid. However, her living expenses are not. She needs at least $15,000 for the next 6 months' living expenses for herself and her mother (who is her only support system in Pittsburgh). Maggie doesn't know when lungs will become available for her, but no matter what, supporting a household in Pittsburgh without any source of income is tough.
That's why I am holding cookie/ornament exchange fundraisers this week. The least I can do is raise a little bit of money to help out with Maggie's living expenses. I've already made $50, and I'm hoping to have $200 in the end. I know it's not much, but hopefully it can help.
Being thankful for all that we have is fabulous, but it isn't enough. Being generous with what we have is the true measure of human kindness, even if all we have is $10 and a plate of cookies.
No comments:
Post a Comment