Help To Put A Smile On A Child's Face

I believe that in life, you have to value every single day God gifts you with. It is so important to appreciate all of the little things in life, the smell of muffins, the bird on your patio, that little something your child does, no matter how irritating it may be, that still puts a smile on your face. They won't be young forever.

I have been through some tough times with my girls, my first borns time in the hospital when she was only eight months old, my youngest kidney infections and meningitis scare at only one month of age. But, they recovered. We made it out of that tough time with good health and I am so thankful for that. Watching your infant getting an MRI is no fun, especially when they have to put her under to do it. But once it is over, you kiss them, and hug them, and treasure the fact that they are okay.

I couldn't imagine going through a serious illness with my child. Needless to say, it would be horribly hard. Today, while reading some of my friends blogs, I came across a situation, and if your reading this please remember that I DO NOT believe in coincidences. You are reading this for a reason.

My friend Sherry at www.espritdart.blogspot.com/ let us know about a little girl named Erika who is seven years old and has a form of cancer called Wilms Disease. Sherry is an inspirational cancer survivor as well
who we can all learn from. All three of her blogs are amazing, so check her out.

Erika has three months of chemo left. I could not imagine how her mother is getting through this, and she has three other children as well.

There was a time years ago when I was deathly ill. I was in the hospital for 27 days with pneumonia due to my own problems with anorexia. I had heart surgery, daily breathing treatments, and was too weak to do anything. My mother stayed by my side, and even spent the night at the hospital with me. I don't know how she got through that.

It was nice to have things to look at and to take my mind off of things, although that was very hard. I was around 20 at the time. Now, imagine if you were only seven.

Erika's mom was getting things for her through Denise at Shabby Cottage Boutique. You can read more on her blog at http://wwwshabbycottageboutique.blogspot.com/2008/01/answering-call-for-erika.html.

The word has been passed on, and now you too can help.

If you would like to make something for Erika to bring her a smile during this time, let me know and I will get you her information. She loves pinks, purples and mint green. She also loves fairies. She still has about 70% of her hair, but after her last doses of chemo she will loose it all.

Anyone reading this, I am sure you know how blessed you are. One of the most important things that we can do during our life is to help others, and to bring a smile to someone's face daily. If you have ideas, and would like to give to Erika just let me know.

Please keep Erika, her family, and all those suffering from this disease in your prayers.

God Bless!