Giving Thanks when you are a 15 Year Old with a Brain Tumor.
Written on November 23, 2010 by Daria .XHello there!
Do you remember being 15?
For me, the sky was the limit. The world revolved around who kissed who behind the garage at so-and-so’s party. SAT’s and sending applications to colleges were starting to loom on the horizon. I was scaring the life out of my parents while learning to drive. And I was cautiously enjoying the new to me, but ageless dance with boys that my teenage body had gained me entree to.
Now imagine being 15, but instead of worrying about who so-and-so asked to the Homecoming dance, you’re worried about whether you’ll fall down from a seizure while walking across the street.
Instead of thinking about college, you aren’t able to finish high school because your seizures are too severe and frequent they disrupt the rest of the class and you and they can’t learn.
Instead of learning to drive, you are worried about learning how to feed yourself again once the surgeons remove a part of your brain.
Instead of scaring the life out of your parents because you forgot to yield to other traffic, your parents are terrified that you won’t be alive next year.
This is Tyler’s Reality
Tyler is the nephew of a very good friend of mine. Her words are below:
Five years ago my nephew Tyler suddenly began having seizures. During a recent stay at Children’s Hospital, Tyler was diagnosed with a large brain tumor that is believed to have been causing the seizures all these years.
Tyler is 15 and loves sports, especially wrestling, fishing, hunting, gaming and hanging out with his friends. Right now, though, he cannot do many of those treasured things that boys his age get to do. Worst of all, Tyler is currently unable to attend school. He is a sweet-natured boy with a tender heart. When people meet him they cannot help but instantly like him.
His long term treatment will require major surgery along with recovery and rehabilitation. His rehabilitation will require him to relearn all of the basics of life you and I know how to do and many of us take for granted each day. To help defray some of the costs that his family will incur, I have determined to undertake this “Scraps of Love” project.
Giving Thanks
So what do you give thanks for when you are 15 and have a brain tumor? What about his mom? What is she thankful for?
Tyler’s mom is a hard working single mom of two teenage boys. Because of Tyler’s needs and inability to attend school, she has had to take a furlough from her job to stay home and take care of him. Child support is hit or miss (more miss than hit) and money has never been plentiful in their house. She, Tyler, and his brother have had to move in with her mom because she has no way to support an independent home.
Thank goodness that she was able to take a furlough versus being laid off, because her health insurance continues to cover the majority of Tyler’s expenses. That is one of the things his mom is thankful for – health coverage.
However, each hospital visit requires a $750 out-of-pocket deductible payment and they are facing up to 4 hospital stays this coming year.
Scraps of Love
Scraps of Love is my friend Heather’s brain child. She decided to make a homemade quilt and raffle it off to help offset Tyler’s non-insured medical expenses. She has lovingly created the most beautiful and cheerful quilt I’ve ever seen. It is pictured below. The picture doesn’t do it justice – the colors are bright and happy and it just makes you smile to look at it.
How You Can Help
Let’s raise $3,000 to cover the upcoming deductibles for Tyler. This won’t cover all of their needs. It won’t help with Christmas presents, or food on the table, but it will take a huge burden off of Tyler’s family.
I have seen the greatness of the people in the blogging community and know that as a community we can do this!
I’m asking you to copy this post and add it to your site. Help us get the word out any way that you can. Repost on twitter, facebook, print a flier out and stick it on your company bulletin board – any means and methods that you have to spread the word.
Our goal? To get people to buy a raffle ticket for this beautiful handmade quilt. Direct donations are also welcome, of course. A paypal account has been set up and can be accessed on Scraps of Love for Tyler.
Then please add your blog to this blog hop so we can see the power of blogging and recognize each of you for your help. As a thank you, you will automatically be entered into my Vera Bradley giveaway if you leave a comment on this post with how you’ve spread the word.
