Thursday, October 16, 2008

One Day to Give for Logan

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This opportunity of giving is brought to you by sweet Kristen of We Are THAT Family. Please go here to read about what inspired her to sponsor this event of blog blessings!

The basic guidelines are simple:

One Day to Give was born out of a desire to touch someone. It doesn’t have to be monetary. You can give your time, a service, a meal or something you own.

It’s not about the what.

It’s about the why. You might change someone’s day, even their life.

And giving feels so good.

The GRITS family chose to attend a very special event in the name of a great cause! We gave of our time and money.

Meet precious Logan Patrick, the nephew of friends:


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Logan celebrated his 2nd birthday on October 11, against all medical odds. Logan has a condition called SMA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Basically, Logan’s body does not produce a certain protein that helps with muscle control. Therefore, he uses a bi-PAP machine during sleep to help with his breathing and also receives his nutrition through a feeding tube.

On his 2nd birthday, our city hosted Alabama’s Cure SMA Walk and Roll Across America and our family took part to help raise money for this special cause. I must mention here that Logan’s mom organized the event!

The money raised by this event goes to support SMA families, awareness, and most importantly for research to help find a cure for this disease.

Here is a photo of Logan with his mom and dad, Jason and Jennifer:

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Folks, these are godly people with a son who’s outlived his life expectancy. They have such a beautiful spirit and testimony. I stood there amazed as Jennifer spoke. You could truly feel God's presence in that place!

Here is a link to Logan Patrick’s Caring Bridge page, if you would like to read more about his story. Get some Kleenex first.

Praise the Lord, this event involved over 350 people and raised almost $40,000 for SMA! And God IS great, the Patrick family is expecting a healthy baby girl due early next year!!


Meet Team GRITS:

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We walked almost 2 miles as part of the event:

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We even won three items in the silent auction:

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The kids even got to meet a celebrity at the end of the walk:

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Sure it would have been easy for our family to help out by just sending a check and spending our Saturday doing something else. However, I wanted our kids to be a part of something big and something that was not about them. I wanted them to be a part of giving, not getting. Even if they can't "see" it yet, I wanted them to see God at work.

I wanted them to see that even they can help make a difference. They might still be a bit young for the complete concept, but I think this event certainly helped them understand more about helping others. They certainly saw MANY others giving of their time to be a part of this wonderful event.

Sometimes it is SO easy for us to take for granted our children and their health. Please take the time to thank the Lord for health and say a prayer for Logan Patrick and his family.

For more One Day to Give stories, click here. Go see how God worked through others and prepare to be blessed!

24 comments:

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

How inspiring! And a great lesson for your kids in giving back. Bravo to you and the others who participated. Bravo!

Jules from "The Roost" said...

What a wonderful thing to take part in! Good for your family!!!

Anonymous said...

Those walks are a great way to get involved. Not only is it a day of raising money and awareness, but it is also very special to the families affected because of the time and effort you are putting forth on your own. What a blessing to this family!

Janet said...

A great cause, and my prayers go out for Logan and his family. I admire ya'll for getting out for the walk!

Dawn @ simply transparent said...

this is good and what a great way to help!

gina said...

What a great post and a great way toget your whole family involved!

Happy Mommy said...

How wonderful to teach your children about doing for others!

heidi said...

That's awesome!! WTWalk!

Kristen said...

What a beautiful gift you've given your children and little Logan/family. It's something tangible your children will NEVER forget. Thanks for giving and for sharing it with us.

I'm totally crying with each one of these posts I read!

Unknown said...

I am with Kristen, I am crying as I read these posts. They are deeply touching me. I can't put into words the intensity of emotion I am feeling.
What a wonderful way for you and your family to give. My prayers are going up for Logan and his parents right now!

a Tonggu Momma said...

I remember doing a couple of walk-a-thons as a child. The others are right: this will stay with your children for a long time.

Skoots1moM said...

we have a special child we pray for too! thanks for being there for their family!! and him!!
your compassion shines through

Genny said...

How wonderful! What a great thing you did!

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

Tammy, that is beautiful. And it looks like such a lovely day you had and that you really enjoyed yourself, with the emphasis on "joy." I'm curious--who is that elephant? Is it the one from the Sharon, Lois and Bram show?

Heather said...

Oh, sweet Logan! I HATE that disease - it's my least favorite of all the ones that I see :( What a great way to get involved!

Muthering Heights said...

Poor little guy! I've never heard of that condition before.

What a great way to get the whole family involved! You're good role model for your little ones. :)

Valarie Lea said...

That is a great cause, and he is a little cutie!

The Mind of a Mom said...

Thank you for sharing Logan's story with us.

Kristin - The Goat said...

You are right, you could have just sent a check, but it isn't the same as being a part of a group doing the same thing for the same cause.

One of these things is not like the others, one of these things, just doesn't smile. lol

Kristin

Jennifer said...

What a wonderful thing to do, and great lesson for your children.

j said...

Tammy, I came by to say ROLL TIDE and I am leaving with a blessing. I need to go and hug my kids.

This was such a wonderful post and I am so proud of your family. Logan is a beautiful child.

Have a great weekend my friend.

littletoesandcheerios said...

Thanks for sharing that with all of us. Wow that's a lot of money for such a great cause.

Anonymous said...

What a great family thing to do together. Tee shirts and all.

Anonymous said...

I am so proud of team Grits- even if one of you did not have a good time!