The One that Counts

Giving back isn't always an easy thing to do. I have a friend who has devoted his life to easing the financial burdens of those in the midst of a catastrophic illness. I am sure each of us has had a financial hardship story but can you imagine having a child diagnosed with cancer? Taking time away from your job (perhaps losing your job) to care for your child and then somehow having to still pay your mortgage or rent, your electricity bill or simply purchase regular household items?

My friend Marcus runs an organization called Faith's Hope. Marcus has his own family and has faced his own share of financial trials resultant of a very sick daughter with Down's Syndrome, who has also faced multiple surgeries to correct abnormalities in her heart. His daughter, Faith, will be ten years old in six more "wake-ups." That is what Marcus and his family call "days," so his other young children and Faith understand the concept of tomorrow or the day after tomorrow and so on. Faith's young life has been plagued with doctor's visits and hospital stays but the joy in her face is undeniable.

It is because of Faith and the mission Marcus and his wife feel they have been called to that they give back - full time. They feel they have no choice. The compellation to do so courses through their veins and they somehow find a way to make their own ends meet while helping several hundred other families over the last several years. Last Fall, Marcus asked for my help in setting up their social media so that they could possibly reach others that could give support, either in time or finances. How could I refuse?

I faced my own medical catastrophe when my second daughter was born three months early (at 26 weeks gestation). She weighed 2 lbs. 5 ozs. and struggled to live for the first six weeks of her life. After 89 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, she was released to our care and came home about seven days before her due date. In other words, she was due on May 18th, but she was born on February 20th and came home on May 11th. Her name is Renee and this last February, she celebrated her 21st birthday. Aside from a little asthma, she is perfectly healthy.

But we had to sell everything in order to survive financially, including our home.

Giving back isn't always easy to do. Some of us are more compelled than others. When you can, when it makes a difference: give. It doesn't have to be today or tomorrow and perhaps giving to your own family is what you can do. I often feel I can never give enough to really make a difference. Maybe the real difference, the one that counts, is the difference is me.

©by rayannethorn

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