I need to do a post about Ashton meeting his great grandparents last week! It was such a great visit and I have adorable pictures :) But first, I'd like to say something about a little 2 year old boy named Tripp Halstead who lives near Atlanta. Last fall, he was playing outside at his daycare and was struck in the head by a huge, heavy falling tree branch. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and since then, there have been numerous surgeries, a lot of ups and downs for his parents (he is their only child) and plenty of uncertainties about his long term prognosis.
His mom, Stacy, started a Facebook page for family and friends to learn about his condition, updates, etc. She posted several times per day, and with such honesty, hope, despair, and love that today she has over 750,000 followers. I am one of them and I feel like I know her. Her son is my son. There is not a single parent that can read her story and look at her pictures without their hearts breaking. The last time I cried so many times for children I had never met was the Newtown shootings. I can physically feel the pain.
Following her posts (which often receive 30,000+ likes in a matter of hours) is an example of how far faith and prayers go to bring together total strangers, and a reminder to cherish what we have every day, something many people (including myself) often need. Tripp was a joyful, energetic toddler on the morning of October 29, 2012 and by that evening, it was a question of whether he would survive. It was a freak accident with no one to blame.
Today Tripp is in a special wheelchair, taking lots of meds, being fed through a tube and Stacy takes him to all kinds of doctor and therapy appointments. Although he has difficulty with movement and expression, she knows he understands her and can comprehend what is going on around him. Every little thing he does is a victory and gives her hope and it's palpable in her writing. She is beyond dedicated and it is the type of courage that inspires others. I root for Tripp with all of my being.
Which brings me to the next part. One of Stacy's many followers is the wife of seven-time Ironman Dave Nazaroff, who also co-founded the Toga Multisport triathalon club in Nyack, NY. In March, she began to brainstorm how to raise money for this family and ultimately, they decided that Dave would ride from Nyack to Atlanta, over 900 miles in 5 days, and present the Halsteads with a check for all the money they had raised in the first ever RIDE to GIVE. For every $35,000 raised, Stacy could stay home another year with Tripp and be by his side through his long recovery. The check Dave is bringing them is over $125,000, and he left today.
If you like their page on Facebook, you can get live GPS updates. As of 45 minutes ago, he was in Califon, NJ:
I get goosebumps thinking about how many people are tracking his route along the eastern seaboard so they can cheer for him as he rides by, and especially the last mile of the ride, when the entire town is planning to meet him and run with him as he delivers this check to a family he has never met. Of course they know he is coming, and I can only imagine how emotional it will be.
Naturally, Owen and Ashton have their official RIDE to GIVE/TEAM BOOM t-shirts and Chera made my day by sending me pictures of our little cheerleaders this morning:
So here is where I say: if this had happened to Ashton, and Stacy was me, would you consider donating even the smallest amount of money? I don't know how many people read this blog, but if everyone gave $5, it would add up. So please, let's do it! I'd be forever grateful - this little boy is in my heart.
Click here for more about Tripp.
Click here to follow Dave and his ride.
Click here for the gray donation button and what I assure you will be the best $5 you'll ever give.
Sorry this got long - just gives you a sense as to how this affects me! I want to help in some way and I figured sending as much love through this blog as I could would make a difference. Love to all, and thank you!!
I'm GIVING!! Great job Iverson :)
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