Fund Raiser Is Announced For St. Jude’s Hospital

— Editor’s Note: Marisol Jackson, director of the Gravette Community Garden project, reports daughter Andrea is a patient through St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis.

Andrea suffers from ITP, a condition which means her immune system is killing its platelets and there is no known cure. Marisol writes,

“After spending months at life-threatening levels, we finally got a referral to St. Jude’s and were there in one week from the referral call. We were at St. Jude’s at the end of February for treatment which brought her levels to a “normal” range for a while. The awesome thing is her school is doing a fundraiser, not for her... but for St. Jude’s Hospital.They are having a matha-thon all week where the children answer math problems to raise funds. Their goal is $500.

If you wish to go online to see the math-a-thon, it is www.mathathon.org. Your funds go to supportthe patients that come to St. Jude’s. I know that for a fact. They covered our room costs, gave allowance for food in their cafeteria and gas for traveling. I can tell you what a blessing it is! It helps the parents to focus on their child. We have not returned yet to St. Jude’s since our fist visit as we are waiting to be accepted in their research program. Andrea is the only St. Jude patient at her school.

If you would like to support this project, please e-mail me your pledge amount. Some employers will match your pledge as well. She will need to have collected all her pledges by the end of next week. All checks can be made to St. Jude’s Hospital. Our mailing address is: Andrea Barlow, P. O.Box 453, Bentonville, AR 71712.

I commend the school and their efforts. We may not be able to help Andrea but we support a place that can save her. We appreciate your support.” Marisole Jackson

News, Pages 2 on 04/28/2010