January 29th, 2012
Well, it did rain on the day of the Walk-a-thon, but it was a huge success anyway. About 500 people turned out in spite of the weather and walked and ran, bought raffle tickets, ate pizza and danced in the mud to raise funds for this very special group of children! A reporter from a local TV station came and we had a short piece on the evening news. The Thorps were able to lift up the memory of their young son and explain what this event means to them and we were able to see our family on TV. The total money raised through corporate sponsors and private donations exceeded $150.000 which will be divided among the beneficiaries.
“Amazing Amelia’s team” was one of the top fundraisers and we may be getting very close to the total needed to cover the cost of her surgery. What a miracle! When we started fundraising less than six months ago this was just a dream, and we fully expected to have to make many payments after the surgery to pay of the hospital cost. Now it looks like there may be enough to cover the cost of the surgery as well as the trip expenses without a huge debt hanging over the Heston Family. God is truly answering all our prayers and we are so very thankful to each one of you for supporting Amelia’s Hope for Hearing!
So tomorrow the big adventure begins and DJ, Kristina and Amelia leave for Italy! The trip will take more than 20 hours and involve three flights, two train rides and a taxi, so it will be quite an ordeal. There are suitcases and backpacks all over the Heston home and the many lists are getting checked off in hopes that nothing important will be left behind or remain undone. DJ has undergone another round of IV treatments to keep him healthy and Amelia has had a few more doctor’s visits to prepare for the trip. Siena is ready to move in with us and divide her time with us and Grandma Diane. Grandma will be the one to get up a the crack of dawn tomorrow to take the travelers to the airport.
We continue to be concerned over the issue of Amelia’s follow-up care, but the staff at the House Ear Institute are working hard to get permission to treat her in spite of the new device. We feel confident that the Lord will work this out and amaze us all.