Cents 4 Sophie

Every now and then, something comes along that compels me to share. This email came to me from Stichin' Heaven (a Quilt shop in Texas). It is NOT Quilty related, except that you can get a 20% off coupon to Stichin' Heaven in the month of Oct (which is pretty awesome!)

Here is what I received directly from Stichin' Heaven:

We always begin our newsletters with "Stitchin' Heaven is located in beautiful Quitman, TX population 2030." Well, fortunately, it doesn't matter the size of the town, its' county limits, or even the size of the state we live in. Community is determined by the size of our hearts in a time of need. This beautiful little girl has really brought this home for us in our small town of Quitman, Texas.

Sophie was diagnosed last year, at only 4 years old, with a large brain tumor. Since, her and her family, her parents, Darrin and Miranda, her 2 brothers, Camden and River, and now, her new baby sister, Livvy Ren (who is just a week old!), have had a long, hard road filled with doctors, hospital rooms, medical tests, and huge financial obstacles.

Earlier this year, a treatment that her mother describes as their "beacon of hope we so desperately needed and prayed for" came in the form a therapy offered by Envita Natural Medical Center of Scottsdale, Arizona. However, it is a 6-week therapy that is, by no means, cheap, and since we are in Texas, they would also have to live there. This is where a community bonds together to make it happen! Cents 4 Sophie was born, and the donations have poured in through different fund raisers like a lemonade stand with cookies on the courthouse square, an exciting game of baseball, buckets in the streets to take that change that clutters our cars, and makes your purse heavy, a quilt raffle, and so much more.

Thanks to a huge group effort from friends, community, and many more, the funds became available, and Sophie was able to receive the treatment she so desperately needed. Not only has Sophie had the first half of her therapy in Arizona, and has returned home, but a recent MRI shows that the tumor has not grown in 4 months! Her mother states in a recent letter in our local paper, the Wood County Democrat, " We truly believe the six weeks of therapy offered to Sophie this summer at Envita Medial Center made the difference."

The road has not ended, though. While Sophie is still receiving the medicine from Envita orally (at the cost of about $250/week), she still needs to complete the other half of the treatment in Arizona. Another 6 weeks at about $10,000 a week is needed.

This is where we come in...There are many worthwhile charities out there we like to support, but sometimes we actually get to see the money we give help an individual, and we believe that Sophie is one of those. We would like to invite you to join in this cause with us.

During the month of October, when you donate at least $5 to Cents 4 Sophie, we want to say "thank you for caring" by extending to you a 20% shopping pass for your next order of any full-priced items here at Stitchin' Heaven. You can donate in the shop, or online. Just enter the dollar amount that you would like to donate in the quantity box, and we will see that every penny of your donation goes to Cents 4 Sophie. Only one pass per customer, please, and all passes will expire on October 31, 2008.

So, join with us in supporting this wonderful family, and this beautiful little girl. Give what you can, not only your money, but also your prayers. You can visit the Cents 4 Sophie website at http://www.cents4sophie.com/ to keep up with her progress, make donations, and read Sophie's Story.