Juanito

My heart is hurting so bad for Juan. Our principal made a formal announcement of his illness at an after school meeting today with the teachers. I guess one of Juan's neighbors has made some tins to set out in locations to collect donations for his family. Although he is at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, which treats all children regardless of their ability to pay, his father is not able to work now because of the situation and Juan's vigorous treatment. I guess the form of brain cancer that he has is so aggressive that they are treating him with chemotherapy and radiation at the same time and they do not send him home at all because of the chance that the treatment alone could kill him, so they keep him there to constantly watch him. I have spent much of this afternoon in tears and full of pain. The whole situation is so overwhelming to me and I just break down every time I think of his beautiful face and huge smile and bright mind...
So the principal made a "challenge" for us teachers to encourage our students to donate to the tins for Juan. I would like to extend this challenge to my friends. I know you don't know Juan, but if you see a tin with his sweet grin here in St. George, please drop in your extra change. If you aren't here in St. George, I would challenge you to donate to the Pennies by the Inch campaign for PCMC to support their ongoing treatment for all children who need it. My brother was also a patient there as a young child and I believe that all of their staff are angels, as well as anyone who supports them. I don't do a lot of campaigning for causes but this one has always been close to my heart and definitely is today...

Some facts about PCMC and Pennies by the Inch . .

- Your donation, large or small, will help Primary Children's Medical Center continue to care for children in need.
- One hundred percent (this is the part that makes me feel the best about donating to this cause) of your contribution to Pennies by the Inch is used for charity care.
- No administrative or fundraising costs (again, this makes me feel good about helping) are taken from your donation.
- Devoted to caring for children regardless of their ability to pay.
- Cares for children from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Nevada, and Montana; the largest service area of any children's hospital in the United States.
- One of the top ranked children's hospital in the United States.
- Treats children with diabetes, birth defects, cancer, and many other complex injuries and illnesses.
- Grateful for donations that combine with hospital funds to provide over $8.6 million in charity care annually; covers nearly 11,000 hospital visits by needy children.
-Dedicated physicians donate their services for charity care patients.

Visit the PCMC website at this link. You can click on the "Pennies by the Inch" link or "Giving and Volunteering" (in the green section on the left) in order to make a donation.

http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/
primary/