Update on Ethen and an Opportunity to Love Pediatric Cancer Families

UPDATE ON ETHEN

Ethen has been doing well. He is getting stronger and growing slowly (his growth has been stunted from cancer treatments, but also possibly from the trial drug he's taking to prevent relapse). He has weekly speech and physical therapy sessions, which are helping him with speech and strength conditioning.

Ethen will have scans in a couple weeks. Please pray for us the next couple weeks. Scans always bring anxiety. We thank God that Ethen has been doing well and that we have not had reason to suspect a relapse. Pray that we have peace during this stressful time. Pray we can always keep a kingdom focus.

OPPORTUNITY

As the Thanksgiving and Christmas season draws near (one could say it's one season, right?), we have an opportunity again this year to join with you all to serve families affected by childhood cancer at Levine Children’s Hematology and Oncology Clinic in Charlotte. Christmas can be a difficult season for many families affected by cancer not only because of what they are fighting, but also practically and financially in providing for their own families. We would love to be a part of adding a little joy to families in the coming months, and this year the clinic has asked that we do that through purchasing gift cards and wrapping supplies. This may give pediatric cancer parents the chance to purchase gifts for their kids, plan fun experiences, or worry less about groceries in a month that usually has other additional expenses. So as you begin your own holiday shopping, would you consider making a purchase for these families? We have started an Amazon wish list with some potential items (here) (but see below for the list suggested by the oncology clinic team). Our Amazon wish list is linked to a mailing address, but if you would like to send something that is not on the wish list, please feel free to email Christie at christiejcraig@gmail.com to get our mailing address. Ethen has appointments and scans the week before Thanksgiving (November 20-21) so our hope would be to deliver as many items as possible that week or the week of Thanksgiving. If items come in after that time, we will find a way to get them to clinic in December! We are excited to do this again with you this year, and we continue to be thankful for the love and support we receive from all of you!

Here's a note from our social worker at Ethen's clinic:

We hope to receive gift cards to stores, restaurants or community activities of any amount (please put the dollar amount on it so that the family knows the value). Additionally, we will be collecting wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags, ribbons/bows to provide to families so that they can wrap the gifts they purchase with the donated gift cards.

Below are some suggestions for gift cards, but please feel free to be creative:

Walmart
Amazon
Target
Department stores or other mall locations (in the Charlotte area)
Visa
Community Activities (such as escape rooms, mini golf, aquarium, manicures/pedicures)
Game Stop
Movie tickets / Fandango
MAC makeup
Claire’s Accessories
Grocery Stores (Food Lion is one of the most popular places to buy groceries for our families)
Restaurants/Fast Food (Chick-Fil-A, Panera, Starbucks)
Toys & Co
Barnes & Noble