A Little Boy Is Fighting A Rare Disease. Let’s Connect With Him Through A Birthday Card.
With a card and a stamp and a few minutes of your time, you can make this birthday much better than the one Karson Taylor had last year.
According to news reports, Karson spent his 5th birthday in ICU last September. Thank God for the medical professionals, techniques and equipment that make intensive care possible. But it’s sure no place for a little boy to spend his birthday.
Karson suffers from a rare disease. I can’t imagine what his parents are going through. Well, I can to a degree. Confusion. Loss of control. Emotions that span the entire spectrum and present themselves with no pattern or warning.
For his sixth birthday, Karson isn’t asking for anything big. What he really wants are birthday cards. Lots of birthday cards. From all across America. From around the globe, even.
From you and me.
There were many bad times during the weeks I spent in ICU in 2015 (I’m continuing to learn about ICU delirums … it’s a thing, apparently). But the worst of them came at night, when my wife Michele would go back to her room and I was left with only the occasional visit from nurses.
What made it so bad? Lack of human connection. And that’s what Karson is asking for.
If it’s only been a year since he was in ICU, I’m sure he still has feelings that are difficult to understand. ICU is a scary place. It’s been more than three years for me, and I still find myself dealing with the aftermath. The mental and emotional issues continue long after the physical ones improve.
So let’s give Karson what he wants for his birthday — the gift of connection. I’ve linked a news article below that tells his story, along with an address to send a birthday card.
This little fella still has a fight ahead of him as he battles a rare disease. If we take a few minutes to send him a note, we can help him (and his parents) experience something beyond a rare disease — an opportunity to live life rare through the gift of human connection.
#liveliferare
