Aside from my children (who ignore me anyway) I do not like to ask people to do things.

Especially when it involves taking people away from a busy Saturday and even more especially when it has anything to do with raising money.

But as the Vision Walk approaches this weekend (Saturday March 31st @ Steele Indian School Park) I feel compelled raise a call to action. {if you do not know about Lucy’s syndrome and looming vision loss click here.}

I don’t know why it has hit me so hard this last week, but as I sat trying to nail down a strategy for how to get this going last week Claire came and tugged on my arm. “I want to give the vision walk my $60 I got for my birthday,” she said solemnly with some tears building up in her eyes. So then of course tears welled up in my eyes too and I scooped her up in my lap and stroked her hair for five minutes. How sweet that girl is.

I told her she should keep her money and work with her sisters to raise a little extra cash for the walk.

So one of the things the girls did with their neglectful parents away so much over the weekend (here) was have a lemonade stand to raise money for the walk.I took that one on my way out the door, and Elle took these on her iPod:

They raised $14.

I know that’s not a whole lot.

And honestly, I don’t care. I just care that those girls opened their hearts to a need and worked for it.
Because that means they’re learning about compassion. And if my children can grow up and leave my home with nothing but compassion I will feel happy as can be.

I know it’s rough to give to organizations where you don’t know where the money is going. You know there must be a lot of overhead and you worry if your money will really get to the “cause” you care about.

And I can’t tell you that I know the ins and outs about how the Foundation Fighting Blindness minds their finances.

But I do know that it is one of our only hopes to help Lucy keep her vision. I get newsletters quarterly that are filled to the brim with all the clinical trials coming up. I scour them for little clues as to what may give us hope to keep Lucy’s vision.

The latest newsletter outlined a clinical trial in the works called TUDCA. It is something a new friend (another mother with a BBS child) had told me about before, but to see it there in black and white with reference to how it may help those with Bardet-Biedl (BBS) made my heart thump with excitement (see article here). We mothers of BBS kids want our children to benefit from that drug if at all possible because not only is it giving the scientific world hope that it will help with retinitis pigmentosa (the retinal degeneration that Lucy has), but there is also hope that it will help prevent obesity. That’s a big deal since it’s the second most significant factor that we worry about with Lucy.

It makes me emotional even to think about the possibilities. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high that there could be something on the horizon to make a difference in the life of my daughter. I worry about those hopes getting shattered if I raise them up too much. But this looks solid enough to inch them up.

Gradually.

This clinical trial is happening through the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

We want to fuel the fire to get that study going.

Just the thought compels me to push that much harder to help raise money for clinical trials like this through donating money to the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Please click HERE and donate to the cause if you possibly can (that’s our personal fund raising page). Even a small amount helps. I just want them to know we’re serious. We will fight for these children. We will fight blindness with whatever strength we can muster.

Because vision is a rough thing to lose.

Aside from asking for donations (big or small), I’m hoping people can link this post to their blogs and/or Facebook, Twitter, etc. and write up what they can about the Vision Walk.

My sister did such a nice post HERE to help create awareness and is even giving away attendance to a Motherhood Retreat for those who enter. That’s a really big deal…those retreats are amazing! And remember to enter Macy’s give-away HERE as well!

Obviously you do not need to do a give-away, just helping create awareness and getting those donations rolling is the key.

I’m going to venture into uncharted territories and add this “Mr. Linky” widget below for those to join in if you feel so inclined to join the cause to spread the word. Please join (add your blog below) if you have made a donation (I know many already have…thank you so much and please link up!) or if you have linked to this page and written even a small post about the Vision Walk this Saturday.

Please join in our fight.

I thank you with all my heart.

Love, Shawni
p.s. post edit note: I don’t really get the Mr. Linky thing, I thought it was supposed to generate a thumbnail picture of the blog where it’s from so that people can link in together to join the “party” of those spreading the word and making donations. It’s kind of fun to link into new blogs and there are some nice ones on there so far. Thank you thank you for all the nice donations coming in. They mean so much to us!!

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15 Comments

  1. hi shawn – i made a donation and then did that linky thing but i'm not really sure what it is supposed to do? anyway – i love you so much, and love your kids and their goodness, and love that lucy with all my heart. really thinking about you with a full heart. love you.

  2. Shawni, I've been following your blog for about a year now and I am in love with your family. I am only 20, but you inspire me to be the best mother I can be whenever I have kids. I really feel for Lucy and although I live in PA and can't attend the Vision Walk, I am willing to do anything to support it.

  3. I love how well you express yourself through your blog! It makes me want to contribute but I guess I'll save my money for my own team! It all goes to the same place in the end! 🙂 I hope you have a successful walk this weekend. I'll be thinking of you guys.

  4. This was the first thing I've ever linked this to my FB and twitter- I feel so technologically savvy! 😉 Pretty cool stuff.
    I saw that a Vision Walk will take place in SLC in June- I plan to participate in that one!

  5. I've been following your blog for about a month now, and I love it. You are quite an inspiration for me and how I want to raise my little family (2 boys-3/12 and 17 months). I just purchased your book, A Mother's Book of Secrets (which I think goes to your foundation…?!) I hope you have a successful walk on Saturday! ~gina

  6. Wow that's so exciting about the new developments! I wrote about it on my blog! I wish I could come walk with you guys, I'm local(ish) Lol. But I already have other plans! Maybe next year! Good luck! I love Lucy! <3

  7. Your sister of Five Kids in Five Years blog did a really great post…I didn't see the link but wanted others to see.

  8. I've had this question for a while now and the pics in this post just reminded me of it! Do your older 2 have contacts AND glasses or is it that they only sometimes wear their glasses and just go without other times?

  9. Hello, I've been reading your blog for a while now too and I love it! You inspire me to be better at everything I do. Thanks! I'm in Vegas so I won't be able to walk with you on Saturday, and our budget doesn't allow us to donate right now, but I will definitely spread the word via facebook and my blog. Good luck to you and especially to little Lucy. She is a sweet heart!

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