Paying It Forward

This is a story about a friend who decided to lend a hand in an extraordinary way...

For those of you who read our blog on a regular basis, you've probably heard me mention my good buddy Ali before... We have been close friends since we were little kids & her family moved just down the block from our house. Ali is just about the most creative person I know, she has many incredible talents from hair to decorating to mothering her adorable daughter, Ryah.

Just after we heard that Lucy cultured positive for pseudomonas, I was talking on the phone with Ali & she heard something in my voice that caused her to ask how things were really going... I told her about the bacteria, meds, vest, insurance, etc. because she's always been an incredible listening ear. Well, Ali ended up doing a whole lot more that day than just listen. Within the week, I received another call from Ali... she checked in to see how things were going & then started telling me about new things that she & her co-owners of Lotus Salon & Spa were planning to do. They recently started a Facebook page & decided to take the month of February to make a donation to a charity. But, instead of a traditional charity, they wanted to donate money towards Lucy's medical expenses. As Ali began telling me about everything they wanted to do, I had tears running down my cheeks listening to the incredible kindness of a genuine friend. All three owners of Lotus Salon & Spa - Ali, Shannon & Laura, decided to given 25% of the money they earned from product sales during the month to Lucy and Ali dedicated a full 12 hour 8am-8pm day (Friday 2/5) to work for Lucy as well. As I thanked Ali for their unreal gift of compassion, I realized what an awesome example Ali is of the kind of person I'd like to be.

Soon, word got out... Lotus Salon & Spa posted information about the big fundraiser on their Facebook page & for those of you who grew up in the city & are not familiar with small towns -- word travels REALLY fast in a small town! Ali began receiving calls booking appointments within 30 minutes of writing about it on her page. She also received word that another two other local people wanted to be involved - a jewelry party (Melissa Shafer of Lia Sophia Jewelry) giving 50% of profits to Lucy and a cute local restaurant (Boccata Deli www.boccatadeli.com) offering to host the jewelry party. In addition, Shannon Guenther offered to donate her tips on the day of the fundraiser to Lucy! The ripple effect didn't stop there, the local newspaper called to interview both of us and wrote a great story on Ali paying it forward. During the interview, Ali told about how a few years ago, when she was going through a challenging time, someone did something incredibly generous for her and their only request was that some day when given the opportunity, that she would pay it forward. What an awesome move that person made! And what a wonderful message to share with others!

Many many people from all over participated in fundraising money for Lucy's medical expenses because of Ali and we are absolutely blown away. This will be a huge help when it comes to paying our annual out of pocket premium as well as the copay on Lucy's vest which is still unclear...

I thank the Lord for showing Himself through the life of my friend, Ali. Her heart is golden, she is truly amazing.

Lucy & Ali

Miss Ryah, Ali's daughter & one of my favorite girls in the world!

Answering questions during the interview for the Chronicle (Centralia's local newspaper) while Lucy was taking the time to smell the roses... This was not pre-planned... but let me tell you a story about roses & CF that you may not have heard...

In 1965, there was a lady with three boys who all had Cystic Fibrosis. This mom worked hard to help raise money and awareness about Cystic Fibrosis and made many phone calls to local civic clubs, social & service organizations seeking financial support for CF research. One of the her boys, Richard, age 4, listened closely as his mom made every call.

After several calls, he came into the room and said, "Mom, I know what you are working for." His mom was dumbstruck because he did not know what she was working for nor did he know he had Cystic Fibrosis. With some trepidation, his mom asked, "Richard, what am I working for?" He answered, "You are working for 65 roses". His mom was speechless.

Richard couldn't see the tears on his mothers face as she stammered, "Yes, Richard, I am working for 65 roses..."

Since 1965, the term 65 roses has been used by kids with Cystic Fibrosis to describe their disease.

I remembered this story as I drove home to Olympia, Lucy sleeping peacefully in the backseat, while I reflected on her smelling my mom's roses and as any toddler would do, taking them out of the vase & rearranging them her way...

When Lucy & I visited Ali the day of the fundraiser, we brought her the biggest arrangement of yellow roses that we could fit into our biggest vase. The difference Ali has made in our lives is huge and the awareness that she has brought to Cystic Fibrosis and all of the kids and adults with it is even bigger.

Ali & Lucy