3 boys and a TRANSPLANT By Alicia Curtis, Simply Hers Magazine
THE VALUE OF CHARIT Y
The kindness of the people closest to us and that of total strangers took over. Throughout Oscar’s transplant process and well beyond the years of healing, we were so fortunate to be gifted so many different things. Friends, family members, and complete strangers chose to step up during a time where we needed people the most. Our biggest problem was time. I was working half time, Oscar’s dad was working full time, and the needs for our son were increasing daily. We were trying to manage it all and not lose our jobs in the process, but it was simply hard. We hired a nanny, used a former babysitter that our boys loved, and then family took care of our kids overnight. I never knew where my other two boys were; however, I knew that my family was taking care of it. The next biggest problem we faced was extraordinary financial hardship. Doctors’ bills, nanny bills, babysitting bills, the bills from time off that we needed to take care of Oscar—you name it, we opened a bill for it. We simply couldn’t keep up with the financial demands of Oscar’s illness. We were looking down the road to a path that led to losing our home, transportation, and the ability to take care of all of our children. Our options were very small, and none of the options we had took care of the debt that we needed help with. This is where the kindness of the people closest to us and that of total strangers took over. We had so many benefits and fundraisers for Oscar. So many that I don’t have enough words on a page to name them all. In Michigan Center where I taught school, they raised more than $10,000 for my family in a single 56
night. There was a restaurant that I worked at during college that put on a benefit. That raised around $6,000. A high school that put on a performance that raised another few thousand dollars. There were bracelets, t-shirts, anonymous donations, and penny drives. You name it, we received it. Every single one of these allowed us to pay our bills and provide care for all three of our boys. One of my favorite donations came from a kindergarten student. While I type this tears fall, because I will never forget the kindness that came from that 5-year-old little boy. I had just gotten to work and was walking down the hall. This little boy approached me in the hallway, still in his snow pants, hat, and gloves. He called me over and took several minutes taking something out of his pocket. It was a plastic bag that held one dollar and fifty-seven cents. He said “Mrs. Curtis, my mom told me your son was sick, and I wanted to give you all of the money in my piggy bank to help.” I was simply speechless. The next day I was at Mott and used that one dollar and fiftyseven cents to pay for my parking to see my son. As we move forward this fall and approach the holidays, please consider giving to a charity of your choice. If you don’t have one, here is URL for Mott Children’s Hospital’s wish list on Amazon: www.tinyurl.com/mottwishes I hope you are all safe, healthy, and full of love approaching our fall season.
