It is the season of giving, and goodness knows that many of us are looking into a well of empty bank accounts already, but we are fortunate. We are. Look around you. Smile. See all the things you have? The love and support?
It’s probably no coincidence that I’ve run across two stories recently that have touched me very personally – on two different levels. I want to share these stories with you, in the hopes that you’ll be inspired by them, and perhaps even moved to help these two magnificent people.
The first starts way back when I was 5 years old.
Randi and the Son of Her Heart
This … this is my old, old friend Randi Snyder (Shetley now):
She was a quirky, big-hearted girl when I met her wayyyyyy too many years ago. She was my across-the-street neighbor and sister from another mister. Her mister, by the way, was a preacher at the local Quaker church and he had so much love in him that it just spilled over onto everyone he encountered.
Randi and I would do the dorkiest things imaginable, but my favorite was our detective game. We’d run through the neighborhood finding clues and solving mysteries, much to the dismay of my mother at times.
“Mom! I SWEAR there’s a ghost that lives in Randi’s windows. It dropped blood on the window sill. Seriously, Mom. BLOOD! EWWWW!” (Of note, it was red paint. In retrospect. I think.)
Randi and I parted ways when I was 7. But she remained my best friend, in my heart, until this day. And not too many weeks ago, we found each other on Facebook again.
Randi, all grown up, is a gorgeous, self-possessed, HUGE-hearted woman who has five children – three of which are adopted.
She spends her free time visiting Africa on mission trips. I’m so proud of her. So. Proud.
On one particular trip, she met the boy in the first picture, Abenezer, and through a series of fateful events has connected with him again. It’s a heart-warming story full of love, coincidence, and a whole bunch more love.
She and her husband would like to bring this very special boy to their home – to introduce him to the entire family and enfold him in a new kind of joy he can experience here – next summer. However, the legal fees for doing so are very steep, and time is of the essence.
So please take a moment, if you have it, and read her story in full – and help out (there’s a donation button at the top of the page) if you feel it in your heart to do so.
Randi, I love you. 🙂
Jacob Stieler and His Parents Battle Cancer … and the Government
This second story was brought to my attention yesterday by my sister. Some of you may know about it already, if you read Kelly the Kitchen Kop on a regular basis.
She has done an amazing job of detailing the story in three posts:
- Do We Have the Right to Deny Harmful Medical Treatment for Our Kids
- Shocking Details on the Horrific Case Against Jacob Stieler’s Parents
- Shocking Details on the Horrific Case Against Jacob Stieler’s Parents Part 2
I encourage you to read all three of those posts, but in a nutshell, here is what is happening:
Jacob is a fun-loving 9-year-old boy who was recently diagnosed (quite suddenly and out of the blue) with a rare form of cancer. As he underwent 6 weeks of chemotherapy (the first of a scheduled three rounds), his health-conscious mother, Erin, watched him suffer from the effects of treatment.
Erin, during that time, did her research and found out just how dangerous the chemo and radiation would be for, not just a boy his age, but pretty much any human being alive. She spent weeks agonizing over the decisions as to whether or not she should continue the treatments after the first round was over.
The doctors insisted that she continue.
Even though, after his first round was finished, his PET scan was clear. Three months later, he was still blessed with a clear PET scan. No cancer was detected.
However, Erin made plans to take him to an alternative medicine cancer treatment center for follow-up care and rebuilding of his immune system. The doctors and medical center workers were not pleased with this decision. (As an aside, they were actively pushing for the $60,000 a month treatments that he, via “standard care protocol” would have to endure.)
Because Erin made the decision not to have Jacob suffer two more rounds of chemo and radiation, Child Protective Services were called. And now Jacob’s parents – hot off the trauma of healing their son of cancer – are in a hot legal battle with the Department of Health Services of Lansing, Michigan.
It’s a horrific tale of just how little we’re ALL allowed to make health decisions for our children. Terrifying, really.
The Stielers (who I don’t know, but the story touched me deeply) are in massive legal debt at this point, and don’t know how many more months they’ll have to retain lawyers to fight this case against them.
This is the page to donate to help them out with their unjust legal fees, but again, I encourage you to read the links above from Kelly the Kitchen Kop to find out who you can contact to demand that this atrocious case be dropped against caring, loving parents who only want what’s healthiest for their son.
Do You Know a Story of People In Need?
Have you heard any stories lately of people who are trying to champion a cause to better their lives? Do they need a little extra help right now?
Would you share them with us? I’ve already donated to the two above causes, but I have set aside what I can this holiday season to give to others … so it would be so very welcome to find more stories where we can help people – directly – with the issues they’re facing now.
And in the spirit of giving, if any of you are seriously struggling with something huge and burdensome and would like to reach out for help, please let us know.
My dream some day is to have this happen here at Crunchy Betty. If not this year, then soon. 🙂
Why Not Mulling Spices? Think About It …
The case against Jacob Steiler’s parents was dismissed! Awesome!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39vo_RwpLcs
It’s called spoonful of heart. We all need a little beauty in our lives.
T, I have had the opportunity to visit the fistula hospital in Addis Ababa twice. It is an amazing
Place filled with hope for women who had none. If you get the chance watch the documentary “A Walk to Beautiful”. It follows the lives of 4 women whose loves were changed through the free surgery this hospital offers.
Randi
*lives…not loves. Sorry 🙂
Betty, I also read about Jacob Stieler in an email from Home School Legal Defense Association (www.hslda.org). Thank you for posting about this and Randi’s story, and for raising awareness about such issues of which many people are not aware.
Love your blog, girlie! On my way to being even crunchier… 🙂
I love to hear stories like these. Another one is this: http://www.helpingjenny.blogspot.com/ It’s a friend of mine trying to raise money to help pay her mom’s medical bills from several rounds of chemo for breast cancer.
Thank you so much for posting this. I read about Randi and I have to say that is one special woman! I felt so much love just reading the amazing story!
I also read all about Jacob and his family and their struggle and I have to say that my heart ACHED for them and what they have been through. Instead of celebrating Jacob’s recovery they have to spend weeks, months, holidays and birthdays struggling with the aftermath of the hospitals horribly WRONG judgement. I truly hope that the struggle ends soon for them. After donating, signing the petition, writing Jacob a letter and posting about it on Facebook, I still wish there was more I could do. I hope that many other people find their story and help them, because they really deserve it.
Betty, You Rock. Thanks for sharing my story (and I didn’t remember blood on the windowsill, but i DO remember the demons that lived in the field behind my house, and the alien face etched into the teeer-totter – not sure we solved any mysteries, but we uncovered more than our fair share!!)
Thanks to the Crunchy Betty readers. I have had a couple of donations, and I wondered where they had come from. Now I know!!
Beautiful work, Betty!
http://www.burzynskimovie.com/
The story about the boy with cancer struck me, and I thought I would share a link to a documentary I recently watched. There are so many problems with the medical system, and it is sad that the corporate/government agencies are so intertwined that people lose their choice and voice. Check out the documentary on Netflix if you get the chance. This alternative to cancer is very interesting, especially once you see that the government is trying to basically steal this doctor’s patent.
Wow, Betty! You know how to pull at the heart strings don’t you? I wake up at midnight and decide to read some, and now I am in tears. These are the kinds of stories that can give us SO much hope! There are kind people out there, and I have a company we can get behind that I want you to tell people whom live in Washington and Alaska about. Full Circle Farms. They are an organic produce delivery company, and they just concluded the first annual harvest moon food challenge, donating 2,500 pounds of food to local food banks. They did a pound for every like on facebook. We were getting their boxes (and will again when purse strings are less tight) and unfortunately due to some current hard times (healing from major abdominal surgery, I had a 9 lb necrotic cyst that took my ovary with it, so have medical debt) we had to use the local resources, and were so happy to see that they truly held up their bargain and we recognized the organic apples. This is a company that truly cares about getting good food to people, so I hope to ask people to just give them some support and like on facebook. And if you live in the WA or AK areas, I give you a possible good produce resource 🙂
I wish I could monetarily help your friends in need, but currently what I can provide is hope and belief that they will get what they need. And spreading the message!
I’m not sure if it’s quite the type of thing you’re looking for, but there are two causes that I’ve got bookmarked to spend my holiday money this year.
The first is the Ada Initiative: http://adainitiative.org/2011/12/a-personal-appeal-for-support-from-valerie-aurora-executive-director-of-the-ada-initiative/ It has done a huge amount of work implementing anti-harassment policies recently and from what I’ve heard from women on the ground things are actually getting a bit safer and nicer.
The second one is the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia: http://www.hamlinfistula.org.au/hospital/treatment.html I was made aware of this centre through a very lovely blogger who decided to raise money for it this month: http://zeroatthebone.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/dressember-days-12-14/ The hospital can heal 93% of obstetric fistulas which occur where women don’t have access to proper care during childbirth (The continuous pressure of the baby’s head inside the mother causes a loss of circulation to part of the bladder tissue and sometimes the rectal wall. The tissue dies and drops out, leaving a hole. As a result the mother is left incontinent of urine and in 20% of cases incontinent of bowel contents as well) and gives jobs and training to the other 7%.