OH! What a week it has been. I've learned a lot of things this week. I now know more than I have ever wanted to know about PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy, state-by-state gaming laws, and what it takes to be a 501(c). But I've also learned there exists some amazingly thoughtful, generous, helpful, kind, and gracious people on this planet, and my life has been deeply, deeply touched and enriched by these people this week.
Below, you will find the post that originally ran here at SortaCrunchy on Monday. Some of you had a chance to read it before I had to pull it because of The PayPal Incident, and some of you had not gotten to it yet when we hit that little bump in the road. Here you will get to meet Gabriella Vega and learn a little about how and why we are coming together to bless the Vega family.
I am excited to tell you that time is of the essence. We want to work quickly to get funds in place to pour out blessing on the Vega family. At the end of this post, you'll be able to see exactly how you can be a part of this!
Gabriella Vega is a precious, beautiful, amazing little girl who is exactly the same age as my oldest daughter Dacey. Most everyone who knows her finds that she quite perfectly fits her nickname - Princess G. From her earliest days, there was no denying that she was full of spunk and is quite clearly royalty:
Gabriella at 15 months
Last spring, I shared with you my connection to Gabriella and her family when I told you about her family's recent discovery that their precious four year old had a condition called Myocardial Bridging causing Restrictive Cardiomyopathy which meant she would need a heart transplant.
Gabriella, four years old, summer 2009
If you have time, you can read through the blog Gabriella's mama (my sweet friend Kristi) has been keeping to allow everyone to be updated on each new development, challenge, and answer to prayer. After many tests, tons of paperwork, and painful decisions to be made in the context of the "new normal" for the Vega family, things seemed to be clicking into place.
Gabriella was approved by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to have a wish granted. Ever the fan of Disney and all things princess, she chose a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida as the wish she wanted to have granted. (That's her with her Make-A-Wish team on the left.) The Vegas had planned to slip away to Florida on October 8th for a beautiful week at Walt Disney World. The plan was that immediately after they returned - October 15th - Gabriella would finally be officially placed on the heart transplant list.
In mid-September, the last of the major details seemed to get wrapped up when Jet Team Inc stepped up to offer flight charter services to the Vegas when a heart became available for Gabriella.
Just days after she had her picture taken on "her plane," all plans came to a halt because on September 25th, Gabriella had a stroke.
Many of you have partnered with people around the world to pray for this brave, smart, sassy, and gorgeous little girl. God's mighty Hand has been so evident in her recovery. She has wowed the doctors, nurses, and the team of physical, occupational, and speech therapists working with her in recovery with her determination and desire to be back to her regular Princess G self:
Gabriella, post-stroke, October 2009
And that is what brings us to today. So many people have been touched by Gabriella's life and story. There are many who want to reach out to the Vegas in a tangible way, and that is what we are going to be about this week. If you have a little pocket change floating around without a purpose, may I invite you to put a purpose on it that will last far longer than a pumpkin spice latte?
We want to bless the socks off of the Vegas in the next two days!
What are the plans for the money given towards this group gift?
- We hope to be able to alleviate some of the financial toll that has come as a result of Gabriella's stroke by paying off the Vegas' bill at the Ronald McDonald House at the Phoenix Children's Hospital
- In the hard days ahead filled with speech therapy and adjusting to life post-stroke, we want to provide relief from the burden of coming up with an answer to the "what's for dinner?" question by providing restaurant gift cards
- If you have ever walked through a major life crisis, you know that even the smallest of needs can seem overwhelming. We hope to meet some needs on a practical level for the Vegas by purchasing grocery and gas gift cards
- The part of Gabriella's brain most affected by the stroke is the speech center. She has many days of speech therapy ahead. Insurance covers only 60 days of outpatient therapy, and the family will be responsible for $25 for each of the insurance-covered therapy session. Last Monday, Kristi wrote that they are asking God for means to be able to pay for extended speech therapy sessions. Any monies raised that go above and beyond meeting the needs listed above will be donated to the trust set up by the Vega family to offset costs of Gabriella's medical care not covered by insurance.
- Wanna be a part of His answer for this prayer? Here's how. Thanks to my outrageously helpful friend Missy, I discovered how to partner with ChipIn to collect donations today (Wednesday) through Friday, October 16th. (You'll still be paying through your PayPal account) Just clickety-click-click the widget below and follow the instructions from there:
Now, what about those wonderful individuals and business who had stepped up with prize donations for the event we talked about earlier this week that starts with an "r" and ends with an "affle"? Well, here's the thing. Many of those people still want to bless the hearts of those who are rallying around the Vegas to support them in this way. I can't really say much more than that, but just know that a some of the people who contribute to this fundraiser (not all! but some) may very well gather the mail or open the email inbox one day and find a little unexpected treat has arrived courtesy of this team of Random Acts of Kindness Rewarders. You just never know.
Really, time is of the essence here. I'm thrilled to tell you that Gabriella is being released from PCH tomorrow! Praise God! We really want to get that Ronald McDonald House bill paid for them and provide for some of their needs in the weeks to come. So fire up the PayPal and tell your friends, too!
(fine print: each donation is simply that - a donation. I need to make it clear you are not purchasing anything. You are donating to the Vega family cause. The amount of your donation will be completely confidential between you and me. Some contributors will be randomly selected via random.org to receive a small treat from a team of friends of the Vegas and SortaCrunchy. These people will be notified via the email connected to the PayPal account through which they made the contribution. Questions? Email or comment, please. Thank you!)
