"Playing Doctor"

Playing doctor with a child fighting cancer is more than a little detailed ...

Not Puzzlin' -- Good Deed!

from Shannon, of Unmitigated Bliss:

It was a small effort, but the little man and I donated a puzzle to the library last week. We donated it under the name, "Little Warrior." I love keeping Little Warrior in mind as we move through our days.

--
Thank you, Shannon and Little Man. This is a GREAT good deed! Little Warrior loves puzzles and we discovered that finding a puzzle in the hospital library with all its pieces is difficult. I assume it's that way at many libraries!

Gift box from an anonymous friend

Okay, granted, Love Through Action is about people doing things for other people as a way to send love to Little Warrior. But my video camera was there, and Little Warrior received a box from an anonymous friend, so I just had to add this video to the Love Through Action blog.

If this looks like fun to you, visit Chemo Angels. You can sign up to send gifts or cards to someone undergoing chemotherapy. (Not anonymously -- so you can get to know each other.)

For I was hungry and you gave me food ...

A seminary classmate of Little Warrior's mom did this lovely deed:

On a rainy Sunday morning three weeks ago, I took some breakfast sandwiches, sweet rolls and coffee to some homeless people who were sleeping in the doorway of a church in downtown Boston Massachusetts. I did it with you in my mind and heart.

In the Autumn, when I return to Boston, I will continue to keep an eye on these people and take them food, to pass on the love of your boundless spirit - Little Warrior, and "one tough cookie." You and your family inspire me every day. Thank you.

With love from your friend in Boston whom you haven't met yet,

Tim

More from "The Change"

There must be something about that sandwich shop....the girls and I stopped by this morning and we were approached by a gentleman with a toddler in the car. He said that he lived 90 miles away, was in town for a job interview, had gotten hopelessly lost, and could I please spare some money for gas. Ordinarily I would be wary of a story like this and - if anything - pull a token dollar out of my wallet. Not today, though, I thought of LW and pulled out a $10 bill to share. Was it a legit story? Who knows. Does it matter? Not today. At best, I helped a father and his son get home. At worst, I gave a con artist some money that will still - I hope - help out his young son. Either way, I did it for LW and hope that it will help spread love and grace.

"Change," I like your philosophy!
-- Little Warrior's mom

Church Group Does Good Deeds!

Oooh, a group of people doing something in honor of Little Warrior -- what a great idea!

Your picture was introduced to our Adult Bible Fellowship. You are so cute! We appreciate the opportunity to send you our love-in-action deeds as we were able help to a new widow. Her son had just placed on the hospice program and she has been understandably distraught by all these recent circumstances. We descended on her home to trim trees, weed-whip buildings and fence rows, weed flower beds, clean gutters, wash windows, and other miscellaneous chores. She was also taken out to lunch on another day by some women in our class. Sprucing up her place a bit was our attempt to make her feel better. It was a great time of fellowship and work for all of us. So Marenna, we want to collectively appropriate those good deeds as a message of our love to you.

ABF, Madison Christian Church, Groveport, OH

Good Deed - Anonymous gift for baby and mom to be

From "The Change":

When out at a restaurant/sandwich shop with my three little ones last night, a gentlemen who worked there approached me to say hello to the littlest rosebud (not quite 7 months old) and to share - he was bursting with excitement - that he and his wife are expecting their first child. His wife is just one month along and he shared that 10 years ago, with a previous significant other, that she lost a pregnancy at 5 months so she was very nervous. I thought that this was a great opportunity to honor LW by doing something I wouldn't normally do, so I stopped by a local farm today and purchased some hand knit baby booties for the soon-to-be new addition and an organic lavender sachet to help mom unwind and relax. I dropped the package off anonymously with a card for dad to share with his growing family. Here's to another beautiful life!

Awww -- well, Little Warrior looooves little babies, so she gives three cheers for this deed!

Third Hospital Chemo

Time for in-hospital chemo number 3. Just normal life on the oncology floor ...

Good Deed: Gift of Life

From Ali:

This morning, I donated platelets for the first time. I'll be going back in two weeks, and again, and again.

Little Warrior is the one who inspired me to get off my butt and make the jump from whole blood donations to platelets.

Ali, thank you so much for doing this. This is a tremendous gift. Apparently, from spinning whole blood donations to get out the platelets, it takes 6 adult donors to make up one pediatric unit of platelets. And platelets are what they are always low on.

This is ... literally ... giving of yourself. Little Warrior hasn't received platelets (yet), but every time we go in for in-hospital chemo (which is where we are right now), she needs a blood transfusion at the end of it. I never take it for granted. Watching the red blood drip into her, and seeing the color come back to her cheeks (and the ensuing energy boost), I always think about the fact that the blood came from people ... people who took time off of work, or time off from fun, and braved needles to give their blood.

Or platelets. Thank you.

Eggy Toast

Sometimes, the simple pleasures can be the best ... so don't forget, good deeds don't have to be profound. Handing someone hot, a cool bottle of water, can be tremendous. Or giving a pump-spray bottle of bug repellent to a homeless person.

Preparing for CT Scan

Little Warrior prepares for her first non-sedated CT, with the help of her loving siblings.