Monday, December 21, 2009

Signed, Sealed, Delivered...

WOW! That is all that we can say...WOW! What an amazing feeling meeting Luke's sweet heart brothers and sisters. These children have been through so much in their little lives. More than many of us will ever go through in our entire lives. These children are resilient, they are strong, they are wise. They are happy, they are gracious, they are beautiful. They have given us so much and we are so thankful for them and their families. So, if you are one of our Luke's Tree families and you are reading this, we would like to say "thank you". Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Thank you for sharing your hopes with us. Thank you for sharing your children with us.

And to family, friends, and strangers who have supported Luke's Tree this year...you have no idea how much your donations have helped others this year. You have helped ease the worries of those who are dealing with CHDs each and every day. You are wonderful, you are generous, you are incredible.

A great BIG thank you to the staff at Le Bonheur. Without Whitney Smith and her awesome idea, Luke's Tree would not have become a reality. A number of families were "adopted" by Le Bonheur staff--they truly love their patients. Thank you to everyone at Le Bonheur who has helped us along the way (there are WAY too many to list) and thank you for answering all of our questions with a smile.

Lastly, thank you to Emily, Matthew, and James for understanding when Mommy and Daddy were busy compiling lists or when our living room looked like Santa threw up in it! Thank you to our children for being our hope. And a special thank you to Luke. Our angel, our saint, our baby boy. Thank you for letting us be your Mommy and Daddy. Thank you for allowing us to continue your legacy through Luke's Tree. We hope that we have made you proud.

Stay tuned in the next week or so (we need to take some time to celebrate Christmas with the kiddos) for an estimated donation amount. We don't have a number now, but we can tell you for certain that we raised thousands of dollars worth of donations! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Also, we are hoping to obtain non-profit status next year, so we would appreciate any advice on that front. We can't wait to see what magic Luke's Tree can bring next year! Now please scroll down to see pictures of these beautiful families as well as the massive amount of gifts donated.



Monday, November 16, 2009

Healing Hearts...One Gift at a Time.

Our family is helping to start a new tradition this year: Luke's Tree! Luke's Tree is dedicated to the memory of our angel, Luke. We have asked heart families from Le Bonheur to send us wish lists for the holiday season. A tree will be placed in Le Bonheur and it will be filled with these heart wishes.
Having a child in the hospital can be draining, emotionally as well as financially. We feel that by helping these heart families through gift giving this season, we can help ease some of the financial burdens that they are facing. Our goal is to make this holiday season happier for families who are facing an uncertain future. Please join us in healing hearts...one gift at a time.
What can you do to help?
* Visit the tree in the Le Bonheur CVICU and choose a heart. Each heart represents a family and has the number of family members as well as their ages on it. Choose a heart and contact lukestree@yahoo.com to get the family's wish list. Don't worry if you can't adopt an entire family...we have plenty of individual wishes to be fulfilled! Please return the gifts (wrapped and labeled) by December 20th.
* E-mail lukestree@yahoo.com for a wish idea. Send the amount you would like to spend and we will respond with a wish idea that matches the amount. We will arrange for drop-off/pick-up together.
We hope that Luke's Tree will be a tradition that grows each year. With your help, we will be able to help these heart families enjoy the holiday season without the financial stresses that so many families with chronically ill children face each day. God bless you all!