Hannah's Wish

Okay, I know I wasn't going to post much this week, but it turns out that there (so far) aren't many heart surgeries scheduled, so the early part of the week has been a bit easier than I belived it would be. In fact, I worked late yesterday (until almost 7:30 p.m.) on a trauma (gunshot wound), and in return they let me stay home this morning. I have to go in later today, but for the moment I have a break!

So, I thought I would share the story of my friends Janet and Donn King, who are raising several children, one of whom (Hannah) is disabled due to a chromosomal disorder. You can read more about Hannah here: http://trisomykidsarespecial.com/hannah.php.

Hannah is a beautiful child. She has big blue eyes, and gorgeous eyelashes, and thick curly hair. When I talk to her, she seems to understand what I am saying. Hannah also has special needs. She needs continuous care, and this takes a very great toll on her parents. Recently, they were approved for in-home nursing care, and this has eased the burden somewhat, but it hasn't solved everything.

The biggest issue the family faces right now is that Hannah is doing what every other child does - she is growing. Unfortunately, she has neuromuscular disabilities that mean she must be lifted from her bed into a chair, and back again, in order to participate in daily life. This was a simple matter when she was tiny, but as she grows it has become more difficult.

The answer, of course, is some sort of lift. Janet and Donn have such a lift, along with a chair that is the perfect size for Hannah.

The problem? The lift and chair won't fit in Hannah's current room. Her medical equipment, bed and supplies take up just about every speck of space, and the family and her nurses have to move equipment during Hannah's care. Still, the Kings have done a remarkable job of rearranging things in order to keep Hannah at home, and I admire them for that.

But now they need more help. Hannah needs a new room. Moving the entire family to a bigger house would be great, but it just isn't practical! Building a room onto their current home, though, would do the trick. Hannah simply needs more space, and the family has found a contractor who is willing to donate some labor. They need building materials, though. I'll bet they need to raise at least $10,000. Which, when you think about the advantages (Hannah stays home, as opposed to getting moved to some institution for care, her family members don't further hurt themselves trying to carry her back and forth), is a bargain.

Janet is an avid crafter and has created some items that she is trying to sell to raise money for the room. The blankets you see here are among those items. They sell bracelets on the website, and a percentage of those funds goes to Hannah. The local ROTC group is trying to help raise funds. Janet can take Paypal, I believe, so I'll encourage her to set up a donation link. And I thought that perhaps we could mobilize some of the blogging community on their behalf.

So, what do you say? Would you be willing to blog about Hannah? Post a link to Hannah's site on your blog? A donation link? Perhaps post a few of Janet's sale items? Make a donation or purchase a scarf or a blanket? Make something and offer it for sale to support Hannah's room fund? Any or all of the above would be so much appreciated. If you feel you can help, please contact me via e-mail at trp100329 (at) cs.com (replace the (at) with @) and I'll forward your information to Janet and Donn. You'd be helping a great kid!

Terri