Maria’s Field of Hope was first planted by the Prayers from Maria Foundation in Avon, Ohio in 2013, to draw attention to the lack of funding for childhood cancer. The field was inspired by the memory and spirit of Maria McNamara, who died at age seven on July 14, 2007 from a glioma – the second highest cause of cancer deaths in young people. The field is a way to love and honor the courageous children who are battling cancer and those we have lost. …
A Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital patient with the first name of Za'Nyha holds a monkey she received while in the hospital.
The nursing staff at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital is hoping for an invasion of cute, cuddly mocha monkeys – just in time for Christmas!
That’s because I hoped to provide each child patient who is spending their Christmas at Rainbow a free monkey to brighten their stay. Unfortunately, I may not have enough monkeys to go around.
“Monkey Mayhem” – my initiative to raise enough money for a monkey for each of the 200+ plus Rainbow patients on Christmas day has reached the half-way point – BUT time is running out. I need to place an order with the supplier by Friday to have them in time for Christmas.
Anyone can donate to the cause at MochaMonkey.NET. There is an option to purchase a monkey for yourself for $9.95 ($6 goes to Rainbow) or purchase a monkey for a patient for $9.95 and I'll deliver the monkey to Rainbow AND make a $6 donation.
Just skip a beverage or two at your favorite coffee shop and support a great cause this Christmas season.
Monkey on IV pole at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
Marilyn McGrath, director of the Children’s Miracle Network at Rainbow, is pleased about this cause. “As a UH employee, Mark has come up with these adorable monkeys, which when attached to the child’s IV pole or bed will help take their mind off their stay.”
Another great way to help is to post a link back to this blog post from your Facebook page and encourage your family and friends to help. Copy and paste this link:
Mocha Monkeys for Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
The nursing staff at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital will soon be bracing themselves for an invasion of cute, cuddly mocha monkeys – just in time for Christmas! That's because I've decided to provide each child patient who is spending their Christmas at Rainbow a free monkey to brighten their stay.
My first visit to Rainbow was in the early eighties when I visited a teenager who had Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Her name was Betsy Baker and she was the daughter of the minister who would preside over my wedding. Betsy was a dear friend of my wife and a cherished bridesmaid at our wedding. A few years later, Betsy succumbed to CF.
My other experience with Rainbow occurred when a friend of my oldest daughter – Dara Hosta – was taken there after collapsing in gym class from an unknown cause in ninth grade. Dara passed away six days later at Rainbow. Because of that experience, I became the Founding Sponsor of the Dara Hosta Olmsted Spirit 5K Race/Walk in 2000. The event has raised over $150,000.00 for college scholarships for Olmsted Falls graduates since its inception.
I now pass through the halls at Rainbow each day as I come to work as an Ophthalmic Photographer at University Hospitals. I witness ailing children arriving with their parents and concerned grandparents pacing the floors. It was an easy decision to make Christmas just a little more fun for the special children at Rainbow.
So here's where I need your help. Could you find it in your heart to give a monkey to a child at Rainbow this Christmas? I've set up a web site with a link where you can donate to the cause. It's at the MochaMonkey.NET. Just skip a beverage or two at your favorite coffee shop and support a great cause this Christmas season.
Tokyo Panorama by "Human Camera" Steven Wiltshire drawn precisely from memory!
Rome may not have been built in a day – but savant Steven Wiltshire drew a 33 foot panorama of the city in just two days! Wiltshire is not part man, part machine like Steve Austin from the 1970s series: The Six Million Dollar Man. He accomplished this feat (and many more) with his natural, God-given abilities.
"Human Camera" Stephen Wiltshire
What makes this achievement so amazing is that Wiltshire was taken for a short helicopter ride where he observed Rome from a bird's eye view. Afterward, he drew the city center on blank paper. From memory, Wiltshire accurately reproduced the winding streets, buildings, the windows – even the EXACT number of columns in the Pantheon.
Wiltshire, who has been called “the human camera,” has the incredible ability to recall minute details of anything he has seen and then reproduce them in drawings. He was born mute. At the age of three he was diagnosed as autistic. At the age of five, Wiltshire attended Queensmill School in London where he expressed interest in drawing where he began to communicate through his art. At the age of eight, he started drawing imaginary post-earthquake cityscapes and cars.
Wiltshire has also drawn New York City, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Madrid, Dubai, Jerusalem and London on giant canvasses.
To read more about Stephen Wiltshire, see more of his work and order paintings and gifts, visit the Stephen Wiltshire web site.
So how good is your re-call? I can't remember where I parked my car at the grocery store! Please leave your comments on this post.
Click the book to see some of the many books that Regina has written that will brighten your day.
Ahh – out of the mouths of babes!
Regina Brett – Cleveland Plain Dealer Reporter shares some life lessons from an almost two-year-old that will surely make you smile.
Hey, I'm just a middle-aged guy and I really enjoyed this column. So take a minute away from your daily grind and read what the little toddler had to say: http://bit.ly/ebMyZM
Here's an inspiring excerpt I read from God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life's Little Detours by Regina Brett.
Graduates: Go after your own grail with gusto
The parents are starting to panic.
As college seniors prepare to graduate, their loved ones call and write me for advice: My daughter, my son, is graduating from college and there are no jobs. They spent all that time and money to prepare for a career that might not exist. What can I say or do to give them hope?
Before you start making room in your basement for them to move in, give them the greatest graduation gift there is: believe in them.
Hope for the next generation isn't found in the want ads. You make your own hope.
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My sister shared this poem she received in an e-mail. It touched me enough to want to share it with you. This story was written by Melinda Clements and is at: http://bit.ly/ww1iel
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn't move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.
When I sat down beside her she didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. ‘Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking,' she said in a clear voice strong.
‘I didn't mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,' I explained to her. …
