Let me tell you a little bit about "Beads of Courage":
Beads of Courage is an awesome organization dedicated to encouraging some of the most brave little ones you could ever imagine. This group provides specialized glass and ceramic beads to children with varying serious diagnoses to help them document their journey through illness. Each bead the child receives represents something he/she has courageously overcome in treatment or personal life. For example, a surgery earns a glass star ... or an IV poke earns a black bead ... etc, etc ... In the end, the ever-growing strand will be both a tool and a poignant memoir of courage. It will show the child all he/she has accomplished. It will document bravery. It will record perseverance. It will tell a story of trial and hopefully healing.
We are particularly thankful for Beads of Courage because, after many, many hours of research, I found it to be perhaps the ONLY organization to support children with CHRONIC ILLNESSES. At the risk of sounding brazen, please understand that I am daily thankful that Jackson's Progressive Infantile Scoliosis had a treatment (although we only found it by due diligence ourselves) ... and that he is thriving. I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND why there are so many organizations to support terminally ill children and kids with cancer. However, children like Jackson (and countless others) also undergo a whole-heck-of-a-lot in their early years. Jackson's PIS is considered the "only potentially fatal childhood orthopaedic condition," and he was at one point (around his first birthday) in danger of experiencing lung collapse and cardiac compression. To be brutally honest, I grew really upset when Jackson qualified for zero programs despite his 11 surgeries, MRI, countless x-rays, seemingly endless medical travel, unfortunate medical mistakes, and having lived more of his young life IN and body cast than OUT of one. The same is true for children with JRA, CP, and congenital heart defects (and more). Those boys and girls are brave and deserving as well!
Anyways, staying positive ... we are SO THANKFUL for Beads of Courage for recognizing the often forgotten kids who continue to smile and thrive in the face of adversity. Thank you. Words cannot say enough.
If you'd like to support a VERY worthy cause (in my opinion), please consider making a donation to Beads of Courage at:
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