This one is long. It isn't pretty. I don't have any photos on here yet, but I hope you read it anyway.
Gabriel was born January 2, 2001. He has two little sisters, Adria and Alaina, born just a few years later. Our entire office lights up when they come to visit their daddy. Everybody loves them. It gets a little loud, but then again, they are little kids. You cannot help but smile when one of those little faces shows up in your office.
Gabriel is a ray of sunshine. He's a friendly, outgoing child. Shawn, his father, works in my office. His advertising niche has always been this great little cartoon "The Adventures of Gabriel". Even if you weren't in the market, you couldn't help but read to see what the little tyke was up to each week.
Several months ago, Gabriel started getting sick. He would get really bad headaches, get tired easily, and sometimes get sick to his stomach. Then he would start having seizures. Each time, things got worse than the time before.
Desperately, his parents sought medical help. The problem was, there was no diagnosis. Nobody knew what was wrong with this little boy. We live in Southeast Alaska. We've got some pretty good medical care here, but nobody here could figure this one out. They spent a lot of money travelling from one specialist to the next, all over the country, hoping for a diagnosis.
It's easier to fight the monster when it has a name. But this monster eluded the experts for many months of expensive trips to specialists all over the country. Finally, just a few days ago, they got a name. "Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes".
Now that they know the name, we find there really is no treatment. This family has always been generous with their time and money. They organized a number of fundraisers for a friend when her child was ill. Shawn is the President of the Alaska Association of REALTORS and gives hundreds of hours of his time for worthy causes.
Now, they are in a really tough position. They really need to spend time with their children, but they also need to pay the bills. Lots of bills - medical, travel, and of course, house payments and basics like utilities and food. Their father needs to take some serious time off work and be with the children.
So, my friends, I'm looking for ideas for a serious fund raiser. My brain is tired. I have mastered the $3,000 fundraiser and I've pulled off a few $5000 events in my life but this time I'm over my head. I haven't been contributing much around here the last month or so because of this and a few other life events, but here I am, asking for your advice. My friend needs help and I just cannot come up with any really good ideas.
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This might sound stupid, but contact Extreme Makeover Home Edition. They always seem to help address the medical needs of the people, as well as give them a new home.