CaringBridge.org; Drew Wakefield

Cheers friends, and good evening!

I must admit that I'm particularly excited about this week's event as this post serves as the first mass communication regarding, well, everything. If this is your first time to the site, please skip down to the very first post ("To Provoke Displacement"), to develop a better understanding of the idea behind all this.

Something that's been difficult to master is how to pull together all the things that incorporate my idea of what shared meaning and community should look like. I stressed in a previous post that no act is too small to have an enormous impact. It's hard to claim being an advocate of that if the only service projects I've conducted thus far have been with large non-profits. This week is different. This week is very, very personal.

So let's get personal. I was speaking with my mom on the phone this weekend when she told me that her friend, Cara Beth's, son was once again in the hospital and has had an extremely difficult time as of late. Drew is 15, he loves SpongeBob Squarepants, stuffed animals, and any music with a solid beat. He also has Downs Syndrome and mild autism. On June 4th of this year, Drew was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocyte Leukemia for the second time.

The odds of having this type of cancer occur twice in a lifetime are just around one percent.

One percent. What devastating news.

Joel & Drew

Since the diagnosis this summer, Drew has already undergone two rounds of chemo and bone marrow testing. It was quickly determined that there would be a need for a bone marrow transplant. Neither of Drew's brothers were a match for the transplant, so they sifted through the National Marrow Donor Program, and were able to find a perfect match.  During a physical only a few days prior to the procedure, it was discovered that the donor would be unable to go through with the transplant. I won't go into great detail regarding all the medical complications (you can learn much more information by checking out the family's CaringBridge.org site), but they have been nothing short of extensive. Drew is currently in the ICU until further notice. For safety and sterilization reasons, Drew cannot have visitors, but Drew can receive gifts and certain other things that are sterilized before entering his room.

Tigger!!

So here is where you all come into play.

My desire for this week is to prove that something as seemingly small as placing a card in the mail can make all the difference in both your own and someone else's world. Mix one part resourcefulness, one part determined-to-help-mother (thanks mom!), and one part kind of creepy stalkerishness- you can find pretty much anyone's number. This includes the mobile phone number of Drew's older brother, Grant. I was able to get some really great information about Drew and to also obtain a mailing address for him and his family. CaringBridge.org is a website that allows family and friends to stay connected throughout difficult medical situations such as the one the Wakefield's are enduring. It is a great resource, but does not have the scope to serve as the only medium for communication and assistance. This is a rare opportunity to be able to choose from so many option how you personally can participate. You can send mail or packages to Drew, you can write to his brothers or his sweet mom, you can donate on their site, you can become a donor, you can leave a message on the wall of their Facebook group, or even ask me how you can help. There is also not a deadline, I don't say this to encourage procrastination, but just to reiterate what a rare opportunity it is to be a part of something that's purposeful and extremely flexible. What a sensation it would be to begin receiving such intentional love and kindness from perfect strangers! I can't imagine the kind of impact something that's simply unexpected could have on these incredibly difficult days that have become the norm. My thought is that even if only five or six people respond, or if the only encouraging words the family receives are the ones I'm planning to send, it will be worth it. I wouldn't regret all the time and effort put into this, as I've found that a great majority of the times I feel regret it's more so for something I didn't do than something I did. So go out and be remarkable. Be creative and encourage it in others. And if you find yourself compelled to act, please feel free to share. I so look forward to hearing from you.

-AMF

*Editor's note: the Wakefield family had no idea that they would be acting as this week's act of service. I haven't seen any of them in years, but I have been greatly impacted by them and their story even in the last few hours. I am absolutely thrilled to see what differences we all end up making in each other's lives.

Please send mail to:

[Intended party of Wakefield family]

1104 Indian Ridge Dr.

Denton, TX 76205

Facebook Group: Pray for Drew Wakefield

CaringBridge.org Website: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/myfrienddrew

National Marrow Donor Program Website: http://www.marrow.org/

Drew with brothers, Joel and Grant