Hey reddit, can you help me do something awesome for two teenagers with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome as they attend Camp Sunshine this week?
TL;DR: two sick kids attending camp for sick kids, can we make their week awesome by making a donation in their name? Please donate "For Jordan L. & Bailey L."
If you wanna skip my personal history with the fam, then skip half-way through Hey redditors, I would like to tell you the story of two kids and their mother, without whom (their mother) I would not be alive. While in highschool I was a seriously suicidal kid (dad in prison, brother an opiate addict blah blah blah whine whine whine)... Nancy (the mother) was a local Methodist youth pastor (i'll make this clear that I am NOT a christian)... we didn't really know each other until my senior year of highschool, when my brother was found 22 times overdosed from painkillers (I personally dialed 9-11 seven times in March 2004) and my father was released from prison (I hadn't seen him since junior high). Long story short: having to deal with these things... I was suicidal... this lady (Nancy) was the only person who reached out to me. At the same time she was in the midst of a divorce and having to deal with the recent diagnosis of SDS for her two boys (very young at the time), Jordan and Bay, a rare genetic condition like cystic fibrosis but which also disables the immune system. So basically, for the past 16 years, a sinus infection will render these two kids in the ICU for over a week (which is rather hefty based on a not-so-giving profession within a church).
When I left for college I lost contact with the family, but two years ago I found Nancy and decided to volunteer for her church despite my beliefs (I do it because I owe my life to her, and also because I enjoy it). I have known these two kids since they were toddlers (I actually held the youngest one just hours after his birth). I recently relocated to Boston from Kansas City (where they live) to attend medical school (they were an inspiration for me to become a doctor). Ironically, despite their illness, both kids want to become physicians as well.
This week I will see them for the first time in well over a year as they pass through to attend Camp Sunshine for the week. I see them tomorrow when they land in Boston and then Friday when they leave, my hope is that on Friday I see them in awe for what happened. The youngest kid, Bay, is a sponsor for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and earlier this year came in second place for a donation drive (he earned $310... not a typo)... I don't think it was a national drive, but nonetheless it was a sad outcome.
Reddit, we've done amazing things in the past month via fundraisers (Karen Klein, Jake Villanueva, etc.)... I'm not asking to top those, nor am I asking to give money to the family directly (their mother would likely not accept). I ask that during the next five days, if you could make any anonymous donations to either Camp Sunshine or Children's Miracle Network Hospitals My goal is to raise $20,000 to each organization in these kids' names by the end of the week. If you do decide to help, please donate using the line "For Jordan L. & Bailey L." and nothing else... I will be clear that none of this will go to me nor the family. I only ask this because this family has struggled through things which make my hardships seem frivolous, and yet they never complain nor do they ever seek hand-outs... can we help them help others?
if you do donate, and since this is anonymous, please leave a comment saying how much you did (if you feel like it), even if just a penny... that way we can keep track (cause I suck at the interwebs and have no clue how else to do it)... I plan to donate as well
EDIT: added links... please don't bury this... I will also post a pic tomorrow morning for of me and the family for verification
Posted Jun 24, 2012, 4:58 AM UTC · edited