My two girls are turning one of their bedrooms into a restaurant. There is a pink tea cart parked in front of the door with a sign that reads “Please Wait. Not Open.” and I can hear the clinking of their Beatrix Potter tea set. I’ve been given a lovely appetizer tray of Wheat Thins and American cheese slices to tide me over until they open, but I must type quickly because at any moment they will call me for dinner on the bedroom floor. This is part of the fun of being a parent, and a child, but not every family is able to enjoy such simple pleasures.
There are children who fight for their lives every day. They struggle with the smallest tasks because their biggest challenge is not deciding how to get the crackers out of the high cabinet, but trying to survive. My youngest has terrible asthma and the most frightening days of my life have been spent in hospitals, watching her struggle for every breath. It is a horrible ordeal for parents and children. Our last hospital stay was at Children’s Hospital Boston. The people there saved my daughter’s life and although I can never repay that debt I can try to help them just a little by being a part of Extra Life.
The idea began in 2008 when the gamers of the Sarcastic Gamer Community decided to honor the memory of Victoria Emmon, a little girl who lost her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In her memory, they came up with the idea of Extra Life, a 24 hour gaming marathon. In the first two years they raised $302,000 for their local hospital (Texas Children’s Hospital) but saw the need to expand their reach. The event now includes every country on the planet and participants can raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network hospital of their choice.
Extra Life is being held on October 15th, 2011 and I will be playing games for 24-hours straight to raise money for sick kids. I’m playing a week later this year (as a make-up day) since I can’t participate on the 15th, but I’m still determined to support kids who are fighting for their precious lives. You can help by either signing up to participate and support your local hospital or by making a donation at my Extra Life Donation Page. Your donation is tax-deductible and 100% of your gift goes to helping heal kids. The work these hospitals do is worth supporting in any way possible. All the proof you need is upstairs about to open a restaurant on her bedroom floor.
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