Shoes for Shriners!!

Last week Eden had her annual follow-up visit at Shriner's Hospital in Boston.  Thankfully, she's not headed for any follow-up surgeries this year, and she doesn't have to be seen until next March. Interestingly, the technology has been advancing in the meantime, so the surgery may be far less invasive when it does happen (hooray for lasers!)

An invitation.
We, as a family, and perhaps especially Eden, have decided it is time for us to give back to this place, which has been so important to us over the last few years. And we would love to give you the opportunity to join us in it as well. We are going to purchase and donate sneakers for the hospital to give to children who come to Shriner's for care from all over the world who need them! Eden is very excited, and has already counted all of the money in her piggy bank (which is full of change she's been collecting since she was a peanut-sized ball in her Mommy's belly) and is determined to buy sneakers "to show the kids at Shriner's that we love them" with her $44.62! We have promised to donate some shoes to her cause, and to ask our friends if they'd be interested to help as well!

How can you help?

If you would like to be a part of our first annual "Shoes for Shriner's" drive, there are two ways you can help:

1. Purchase sneakers in any size from toddler size 7 up (all the way to adult sizes!) and get them to us by May 4 (let me know if you'd like to mail them and I'll get you our address - we're thinking about setting something up on Amazon too so it can automatically ship to us, if there is interest; we would also be happy to pick them up if you're local)
and/or

2. Donate funds which we will use to buy sneakers when we do our family's shoe run, and get them to us by May 2 (we are planning the family shoe run for May 4 or 5). I have a paypal account that can be used for this purpose; feel free to reach out if you'd like the info!

We are planning to deliver the shoes to Shriner's sometime during the first full week in May.

Thank you for considering this cause! If you would like to know more background about why we are involved with Shriner's (and for some never-before-seen pictures), read on. But most of you know this story, so I wanted to make sure we got to the point first!

Why Shriner's? Eden's Story (see also here for the full story, which I still cannot read in full without crying, and the following few entries for the aftermath)

On September 10, 2009, when Eden was just 15 months old, her hands, forearms, and forehead were badly burned on the hot glass covering the gas fireplace in our apartment. She was rushed to Children's Hospital in Boston, and then transferred to Shriner's within hours of her injury. We stayed at Shriner's for just under a week, and then took her home, returning daily for dressing changes. 

Smiling sweetie, after we settled in at the hospital.

 

Playing with her Daddy

Snuggling Mommy

Sleeping beauties

 Eleven days after her injury, she was in the operating room, where one of the country's best plastic surgeons grafted healthy skin from her chubby little thigh onto her forearms, palms, fingertips, and forehead.

About to head to surgery - I always find it odd that we are smiling so big in this picture.

 

Post-surgery, she was so sleepy

Eden's accident was one of the most difficult things - probably the most difficult thing - we have faced as a family, but we were also immeasurably blessed in the midst of it all; we know it could have easily been so much worse.

Once she woke up, she was incredibly loopy. We played Radiohead for Babies (given to us by Shriner's), very appropriate.

Shriner's is an amazing place. We could talk for hours about all of the things that the people of Shriner's - from doctors to nurses to OTs to the incredibly nice woman who cleaned Eden's room every day - did to make the experience the best it could have possibly been, but suffice it to say that, literally, from the minute we walked through the door, we (all three of us) felt respected, supported, and cared for, both physically and emotionally.

Getting some fresh air in the hospital's outdoor playspace

People come from all over the world to be seen at this hospital, and for good reason; the care is phenomenal. What's more, Shriner's does not charge its patients a penny. Not a penny, whether they could afford it or not. They only recently began accepting payments from insurance.

We got her some Argyle socks and a floppy hat to cover her bandages. Stylin'.

One of the beautiful things about this place is that they are committed to making patients - and their families - comfortable while they are at the hospital, and providing tangible goods to make the stay easier. Within twenty-four hours of our arrival we were given a bag with toys, some regular clothing, and a handmade blanket (which Eden still sleeps with every day at daycare). We didn't know we "needed" these things, but the level of care and thought that they represented literally brought us to tears.

Playing with some of her toys in the hospital with a friend.

Shriner's gets donations from many places, and they thankfully always have plenty of toys. But the one thing they always need is shoes. We see this need as an opportunity for our family (and hopefully some of you!) to serve a place that does so much good, that has done so much good for us in particular, and to help them serve and bless others as they did us not so long ago. We are all very excited about this opportunity, and we hope you'll join us! But if you can't swing it this year, no sweat, we understand! We plan to make this an annual tradition, so there will be more chances.

Thank you for your time - and if you've made it all the way through this epic post, KUDOS just for reading! And please, feel free to forward to others you think might be interested in helping, or link to from your own blog.

Our sweet girl now.