Hoping for Spring

Dear Friends, It's been way too long since I've updated the blog here. Many of you are following Eddie's Fund on Facebook now--I'm so happy for that. If you are, you know the last month has been a tough one for Eddie. I've been really sad to talk with his mom every week, always to news of deterioration, and never progress. Eddie is having difficulty breathing, and the doctors suspect GVHD (rejection disease) in his lungs. As you may remember, Eddie already has GVHD of the skin and mouth, and it's a nasty disease in every imaginable way. We're hoping to hear very soon about a date for a lung biopsy for Eddie; of course, surgery of any kind is always dangerous given the supression of his immune system. And, Eddie continues to be unable to eat--he can't open his mouth wide enough to even put in a popsicle (because of the rejection disease and the way it tightens his skin). His feeding tube, however, has been causing him problems, so that was removed at the end of this past week in the hopes of giving him a break from it. Of course, without it, he's not getting any nutrition, so it's going to have to be replaced very soon. I'm so grateful for many of you who have continued to give to Eddie's Fund during this time. Some of you give monthly, others give when you can, and as someone who also donates to the Fund, I'm grateful. Since paying off the family car in the late fall, we've been able to use Fund money to help with the family's rent, pay for needed car repairs, and pay for heating bills. Because Eddie's mom continues to be unable to work (Eddie is in and out of Boston nearly every day, and visitors are not allowed in their home), the Fund continues to provide a necessary means of support for this family. We love them so much. We admire them so much. And we're so grateful for those of you who are loving on them, too. This month, we'd like to invite you to donate as part of our HOPING FOR SPRING drive. We're hoping for a new season of growth and health in Eddie's life, and praying for that. In the meantime, we're doing what we can to support and love Eddie and his family. And to thank you for your donation, for every $10 you donate, you will win one entry in our HOPING FOR SPRING GIVEAWAY. The prize is a KINDLE FIRE! So if you donate $50, you will have 5 entries entered in the giveaway! I will draw the winner of the Kindle Fire on the last day of April and will contact the winner at that time. Use the "Donate" button on the right side of this page to make a donation via PayPal...I will receive your name when you do so, and I'll know you've donated, and at what amount (so I'll be able to figure out the number of giveaway entries you receive). Thank you for donating to the Fund...we're down to our last $100, so we appreciate your support! With thanks, and with hope for sunnier days for Eddie, Melissa