I am posting this on behalf of my good friends, the Kents. Their infant daughter, Hailey, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (to be exact and even rarer, MLL) when she was just 3 months old. Since then, she has had to endure many many months in the hospital, various procedures, countless blood transfusions, and a stem cell transplant. Right now, at about 21 months old, Hailey is fighting a potentially deadly case of Graft Versus Host Disease.
Myself and some other friends of the Kents are trying to get Extreme Makeover:Home Edition to build the Kents a new home. Although, incredibly blessed to receive the transplant, it has left Hailey's immune system virtually non-existent. She now has no defense against germs, viruses, or bacteria... all of which live in everyone's home. One little cold could potentially kill her. The Kents currently rent their house, and besides the fact that they can not afford a HEPA filter to help filter out these potentially deadly things, they were recently told that they couldn't install one. Sunlight is also very bad for Hailey's GVH Disease, and with little room to move around in her house and sunlight streaming through its making her condition even worse (the windows are low to the ground and Hailey and her twin like to pull blinds and shades down). In November, their contract for the house will be up and they need to decide if they are going to stay (if they can even afford to still live there) or find a new house. They spent most of their life savings on trying to have children and were finally blessed with Hailey and her twin brother Ryan (although they suffered 9 miscarriages in the process). So between that and trying to pay off Hailey's astronomical medical bills they don't have any money left for a house.
Through all of this Maria has remained steadfast that her daughter will get better and has made it her mission to help other patients and parents of children with cancer get the help they need. She is passionate about trying to convince the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to do research on MLL (its apparently so rare that they haven't done much, if any, research on it). She's helped put together several Bone Marrow Registry Drives and Blood Drives and is working on a fundraising event and Blood & Bone Marrow Drive for the Children's Hospital Los Angeles and the National Marrow Donor Program. Her efforts have already and could potentially save so many lives! This is a true testiment to what an amazing family this is!
So, I totally just rambled...but to make a long story short... I was wondering if you all could please help us spread the word about what a deserving family this is and how badly they need a new house. Please pass it on to everyone you know....friends, family, coworkers, acquaintances. Even email Newspapers or News stations. Post it on forums or messages boards. Just please help us get the word out there.
We are not asking for money. We just want to help a deserving family get a home that is healthy and safe for their very sick little girl. And we're hoping to accomplish that with some word of mouth.
*There is also a petition for you all to sign on there as well
Thanks for taking the time to read this :)
Cindy