A Promise of New Life
From the desk of Jackie:
Sarah Murnaghan is a ten year old girl currently at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who has been suffering from end stage cystic fibrosis. Sarah had been waiting for weeks to be able to receive a lung transplant necessary to save her life. Unfortunately, transplant rules did not allow children under the age of twelve to be eligible to receive adult lungs unless all adults and older children on the transplant list were considered first. Luckily, thanks to Sarah and her family vocalizing the unjust result of these rules, a federal judge intervened and ruled that, although she is only ten years old, Sarah could also be considered to receive an adult lung transplant. As a result, Sarah received life-saving surgery this Wednesday. While she still has a great deal of recovery to undergo, Sarah is doing well! And perhaps most uplifting about this story was Sarah’s continuing optimism, as she professed to never give up, even as she remained hospitalized with little to no chance of a transplant under the previous rules. Sarah’s bravery and hope throughout this whole process has been astounding. We wish her well as she recovers from her surgery and enters a new phase of her life.
Coast to Coast for Catholic Schools
From the desk of Kelly:
This week, I am proud to bring you a great story that’s close to home for Jackie and me. A fellow schoolmate of ours has taken on the challenge of riding across the country in an effort to raise money for Catholic schools. Rebecca Gonzalez embarked on a cross-country bike ride last week that will take her from San Diego, CA to Annapolis, MD, a ride that will take her until mid-August. Rebecca’s goal is to raise $20,000, which is the cost of providing one child a Catholic education from elementary school through high school. As Jackie and I are both products of many years of Catholic schooling, we can both individually vouch for the impact it has made on our lives. In addition to being a great cause, let’s not forget what a strenuous and physically taxing adventure this will be. The dedication and endurance required to complete this 3,000 plus mile journey is incredible. Rebecca has been providing updates throughout her ride through various forms of social media, including Twitter and Facebook. For more information on Rebecca’s cause and journey, visit the website at coasttocoastforcatholicschools.org. To contribute and help sponsor this noble effort, be sure to visit the donation page. Our prayers are with Rebecca as she rides across our beautiful country for this great cause.
Filed under: Current Events, Faith & Religion, J, K, Weekend Kickoff Tagged: Annapolis, Bike Ride, California, Catholic education, Catholic school, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, coast to coast, cystic fibrosis, dedication, Education, elementary school, Facebook, fundraising, High School, lung transplant, Maryland, Miracle, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Rebecca Gonzalez, San Diego, Sarah Murnaghan, Surgery, Twitter
