Pay it forward…

We often talk amongst the two of us (Mike’s mom and dad) about how lucky we really are.  Bi-lateral clubbed feet caused us a few weeks of stress in the beginning.  But as far as clubbed feet go, Mike responded phenomenally well to the treatment.  Considering what other parents and children have gone through (or are going through) makes us appreciate how well it’s gone.

And it’s not just the feet either.  Good, happy, healthy, eats anything (without being messy), and on and on and on – it really has been smooth sailing.  And again, we reflect on how well it’s been.

And then sometimes, you hear a story that hits close to home.  And you say to each other “that poor child and her parents – my heart goes out to them”.  This is one of those times…

A little girl from Mike’s daycare was recently (an unexpectedly) diagnosed with a brain tumor.  She had to have brain surgery just a few days before her fourth birthday.  She was allowed a couple of weeks to recover in Knoxville (if you can call two weeks of fairly intensive physical therapy “recovery”) before being sent to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for radiation treatments (which began today…).  The treatments are 5 days a week, Monday through Friday for eight full weeks – and she has to be put to sleep for each one.  And to top it all, she’s young enough that she doesn’t understand how far away Houston is from Knoxville – so she doesn’t understand why her friends can’t come to visit her. 

I think about this little girl often.  And what she and her parents must be going through is absolutely beyond my ability to comprehend. 

I would be surprised if anyone reading this actually knows Madison Haynes.  Even though – you can still appreciate how much it would mean to her to know that people are thinking about her.  So the next time you are out and about, buy a “get well soon” card and a $0.44 stamp .  You certainly won’t have to go out of your way – you can pick one up for $1.00 anywhere from the grocery to Wal-Mart).  Write a short little message on the inside (something like “you might not know who I am, but I thought you would like to know that someone from Knoxville (or Indiana, or Kentucky, or California, or wherever you are) is thinking about you”).  Send it to Miss Madison Haynes, Homewood Suites, 2950 Sage Road, Houston, TX  77056.  For less than a buck and a half, you just put a smile on this little girl’s face.

I can’t think of a better way to “pay it forward” than that…