Thursday, November 4, 2010

Sweet Little Marissa

So, whilst reading one of my regular reads, I happened upon another blog about a beautiful little girl named Marissa.

Marissa was diagnosed with an infantile spasms, epileptic disorder, in 2008. Now, more than 2 years later, her family is seeking to raise awareness about the disorder.

Marissa's treatment includes intramuscular injected steroids. The steroids, with the consistency of warm toothpaste, cost nearly $28k each. Marissa has had 11 vials. 


Can you imagine being given this diagnosis, and being told that your daughter, at just 3 months old, would have to fight for the rest of her life? And what about when you saw the price tag of that fight? You can't just throw in the towel. It's your child. 


You can get a quick update here, and continue to follow their story.


Here's the thing. Why am I blogging about this?  I fought over this for a period of time. I read the post on Harper's Happenings. Then, I followed the link to Marissa's blog. And I read. And I teared up. And I looked around.


The reason I fought about writing? It's because it's part of a giveaway. And by blogging about it, I have to say I honestly feel about this big.


And I deleted. And I rewrote things. And deleted some more. Even now as I sit at my computer, I struggle. Because I never want to be motivated by stuff


And I came to a conclusion. I only have 20 readers. 20 people that may or may not check my blog every day. But, of those 20, several blog themselves. And they have different followers. And those followers have different followers (it's all very trickle downish). Why does Marissa's dad want people to blog about his little girl? Not because he's some big attention monger like (c'mon. let's be honest) the rest of us. It's because Marissa was diagnosed early. And the earlier this issue is caught, the better chance of receiving treatments that work. So he started blogging.


And, ya know what, since he started marissasbunny.com, 11 children have received an early diagnosis.  That's 11 people facing an overwhelming battle, with 11 other pairs of shoulders to lean on. And maybe, just maybe, we'll help another family.


Maybe you can help in another way. Maybe instead of raising awareness by writing a blog post, you can hop on over to Marissa's blog and donate toward the monumental medical expenses the family is facing, especially with an upcoming surgery for Marissa.


You're within 7 handshakes of the entire world. Next time you shake a hand, why not think about how many people that's going to reach. And do something about it.


If you want to judge me, go ahead. I don't care. But while you're doing that, be sure to tell the recipient of that gossip about Marissa. You may be saving a life.


disclaimer: this post is counted as an entry for the iPad giveaway on marissasbunny.com. Hop over there and enter this stellar giveaway and leave Marissa a happy birthday message. It's coming up.

1 comment:

  1. you're incredibly kind - i'm going to read the website right now.

    ReplyDelete