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Hello Everybody,
I am forwarding to you an email that
I received from Sandy Siegel, the President of The Transverse Myelitis
Association. I was going to just let you know of a wonderful opportunity
to raise money for research of TM and to raise awareness of TM, but I could not
improve on the letter that Sandy sent to me, so I am just forwarding it to the
list. Please read this and forward it to as many people as you can, to
help Dana to raise money for the fundraiser. The letter is
below:
I met Dana shortly after she got TM; she was just ten years old. She came to the Children's workshop in Columbus with her mom, dad and brother. Dana is an incredibly bright, charming, talented and beautiful girl. She also has a wonderful, vibrant and positive personality. Dana is a sweetheart. I have been immersed in TM for the past 11 years. My experience began with Pauline. Pauline's illness, rehabilitation and recovery are at the core of what I do for the TMA. The kids have also become a part of that core that motivates my work. I listen to the incredible stories that people have to share about their illness; I listen to these stories every single day. They are excruciatingly painful to listen to because there are no warning signs to the illness, the attacks are so rapid and severe, the illness is so little understood and the recoveries can be so terribly slow or not at all. It is a devastating illness. And yet, many people find a way to cope, to make the best of their situation. Some people find a way to make the experience into a positive. I don't have TM. I am on the sidelines when it comes to how a person finds a way to make a positive experience out of such a tragic illness. And I always marvel at the resiliency of the human spirit. Nowhere do I see this remarkable spirit of human beings more so than in the kids who get TM. It totally blows my mind. These kids have difficult challenges; they have the physical issues and they have the social, psychological and emotional issues to face. How well the kids can adapt and go on with life and make the best of their lives is reflected in a child like Dana. Dana came to me and said that she wanted to do a fundraiser for the TMA. She is going to be in a tennis tournament in a few weeks and is going to morph her participation in this tournament into a fundraiser. I was thrilled with Dana's willingness to get involved. I told her that I would help her in any way I could. I try not to torture my friends and family with my cause. I'm sorry, I have to torture you this time. This one is too important for me to suppress. I would just love for there to be a gigantic cascade of support for Dana -- in her tennis tournament and in her work for the TMA. I am sending you the link to Dana's fundraising page on our web site: http://www.myelitis.org/danatennis/ Please read Dana's letter. You have to watch the video of Dana! The video is an interview and story done about Dana from a local tv station in her city. I told Pauline that I cried when I saw Dana's video. She reminded me that I can be brought to tears by a Budweiser commercial. There is also an email address for Dana at the bottom of her letter where you can write to wish Dana good luck in the tournament and where you can make a pledge to support her and the TMA. [EMAIL PROTECTED] You can make a direct donation to the TMA in support of Dana's Tennis for TMA Fundraiser. Please make your check payable to The Transverse Myelitis Association. If you mail the check directly to the TMA, please write Dana's Tennis for TMA in the memo section so we can keep track of the magnitude of Dana work to "heal the world." You can mail your check to: The Transverse Myelitis Association Paula Lazzeri, Treasurer 10105 167th Place NE Redmond WA 98052-3125 If you send a check directly to the TMA, please write to Dana and let her know that you have done so. If you know other people who will be moved by Dana's story, buoyed by her spirit and who have the means to help a great cause, please pass this message on to them. I beg you to use caution in passing on the message; unfortunately, the world is also filled with such weirdness. Please only send this to people you know really well and trust. Thank you for retrieving this message out of your spam folder. Thank you for doing all of this reading. Thank you for thinking about supporting Dana's and my cause. Thank you for allowing me to offer you this awesome mitzvah opportunity. We are grateful for your generosity and your help. Love, Sandy |
