It is amazing to us what the Lord does for us and who he brings into our lives! Traci and I are finding that through every challenge we face along our journey, the Lord brings incredible people into our lives for different reasons! This has never been more obvious then this next story of unbelievable kindness, hopefulness, compassion, and genuine love for a little red head battling a terrible terminal disease! This all started a few years ago when Mary Martha and Gary Parisher got the word from dear friends of theirs who are now dear friends of ours as well. They were told that there dear friend’s child was believed to have Duchenne like Gabe. At the time none of them knew Gabe but learned about DMD extremely fast and like all of us, what they read about this disease floored them. Over the next several months they all believed this child had Duchenne! Can you imagine having a child and thinking they had a terminal disease for almost a year? They finally had a muscle biopsy done on their child (which is extremely painful) and the results…NOT DUCHENNE!!!! Thank the Lord! After this disease impacted their lives so much, they all decided they wanted to do something to make a difference with DMD. One day a board member (Karen Gilbert) was wearing an H4G shirt at school and Mary Martha saw the shirt and stopped her to ask what it was about. Karen shared the story and Mary Martha immediately wanted to be involved. As an attorney by trade, we were thrilled of the thought of having her involved with our foundation! However, it would not be her natural trade that created such incredible memories for our entire family and my sister. Mary Martha has recently launched a new business called Cheeriodicals. She and her husband immediately wanted Gabe to be the first recipient of a “Make-A-Wish” type of trip sponsored by her company. When they shared this information with us we were blown away!!!!! They decided on a few options and wanted us to decide. Our decision…The Georgia Aquarium with the Dolphin Tales Show, Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow, and a behind the scenes SHARK tour!!! You cannot imagine the joy in our hearts when they offered us a trip like this. My children where so thrilled just to be staying at a hotel much less going to the aquarium! Gabe asked…”Daddy will we be able to watch a movie in the hotel room?” It always amazes me how their little minds work! “Yes we will watch some movies Gabe!” Needless to say, the Aquarium was unbelievable, the hotel SUITE they got us was HUGE with an adjoining room, and we went swimming in the indoor/outdoor pool which the kids did not want to get out of!!! These guys absolutely ROCK!
We would love for anyone reading this to sponsor Cheeriodicals as they are a start up and right out of the gate decided to do something for our family and especially Gabe! They could have waited until business had been up and running but literally offered us the trip within a week of being launched!!! I often mention that I am not sure of the “WHY” Gabe but gestures like this make me realize that Gabe is making such an impact even though he may not know what he is doing! I will end by saying Mary Martha and Gary Parisher are incredible people who are doing incredible things by making a difference! Though Gabe will remain on their web site, they will continue to make “wishes” happen for many other children in the community!
I ask that everyone reading this support them in their new endeavor and here is a little about their new company: Cheeriodicals is an online specialty gift company that offers a fresh alternative to traditional gifts. The company ships gift boxes filled with magazines and addicting specialty food items, both targeted to the recipient’s interests. These are feel-good gift boxes with magazines and many treats to choose from! Who wouldn’t want a stack of their favorite magazines and some great snacks to pass the time in the hospital? What guy wouldn’t love a surprise gift of college football ranking magazines? I would have loved for someone to have sent me a gift box full of decorating magazines and snacks as a housewarming gift when I first purchased my home. As a socially responsible company, Cheeriodicals is partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to adopt “wishes” of children with life threatening illnesses. Cheeriodicals is the perfect gift for those in the hospital, brides to be, moms to be, to give as a birthday gift or for any special occasion. For more information about these great people and incredible company please visit www.cheeriodicals.com. Thank you for all you do and please help support Cheeriodicals! Gabe’s Daddy