Who would think that Gatorade could help…

Jonah will be turning 10 years old while he is in Minnesota getting a check up from his doctors. Jonah was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at 11 days old. He suffers from typical CF symptoms and receives daily treatments for his lung/respiratory condition. He has had part of his colon removed, has an ileostomy bag, had his pancreas removed and had an auto-islet cell transplant. He is also suffering now with liver trouble and his parents are seeking the proper treatment for this. And you think you have problems!!! Jonah is an amazing kid with such a great attitude!!!

Jonah is living with his condition everyday but yet he smiles and even played football last year. This kid is an amazing kid with such a great attitude!!! His parents do everything they can to help make his life normal while juggling all of the medical things associated with his condition including the bills.

His parents were at wits end because they were able to get an appointment to see his surgeon but the trip was 11 hours long and they just didn’t know how they were going to manage this. So their good friend contacted us and we arranged to get this surprise grant to them to help them get to Minnesota to seek the help that they need for Jonah.

Part of our grant process is not only for financial help for the parents but it’s for the whole family too. Jonah drinks many cases of Gatorade a month to get his medicine in him, and so we provided 3 cases of Gatorade. He also needed some new pajamas and he was so excited to see he got some new PJ’s! It’s not just Jonah who is sick but his sickness affects the whole family and so our grant is for the whole family too! We make sure that we give the siblings a gift so that they have something tangible too. Kroger’s was kind enough to donate all of their leftover Easter plush animals and so we love cramming these big bunnies into a small box so that when the box is open, the bunnies fly up in the air.

I would like to share with you what their friend wrote to us about the grant we gave to this family:

"I just wanted to let you know just how excited and surprised Michele and the kids were when I arrived at their doorstep carrying the boxes of goodies and financial help from the Aubrey Rose Foundation. The Gatorade was a huge hit with Jonah- his eyes lit up when he realized you had gotten him the “big” size Gatorade bottles. And watching all of the kids’ faces when the stuffed bunnies sprang out of the box-

it was priceless. Michele wanted me to let you know again just how appreciative she is of you and the Aubrey Rose Foundation for the help you provided (especially on such short notice). The gifts really helped to lessen some of the financial burden, and helped Michele concentrate more on just getting Jonah the medical treatment he needed in Minnesota.

Thank you again, Nancy and Jerry, for your kindness, your understanding, and your willingness to help this family out. Michele and her family are wonderful friends, and like family to us. Being able to help them financially with your help was an absolute blessing. You truly made a HUGE difference and we will never forget the help you provided. You were truly this family’s angel at a time when they really needed one. We will keep up to date with the events posted at your website often- and please do not hesitate to contact us when you are in need of volunteers or any other help with your organization. We would all be honored to be able to give back to others in need, and support the great work your foundation is doing.

And here is a message from Jonah’s Mom:

Nancy & Jerry, Thank you again so much for giving us such a gift to try to help our son. Not only are you helping us get Jonah to Minnesota, but you are giving us a gift of freedom from some stress to enjoy Jonah's precious birthday. Jonah is an amazing kid who has taught us so much about being thankful. For just a few days we will be able to just focus on Jonah and the other children and not worry about other things that are just not as important. We are truly so thankful for your generous help and support.

Michele