The Holland Family

This post is going to be a little different than normal.  I wanted to let everyone know about some fundraising the MOMS group in my town is doing.  One of the first things I did when we moved to Sierra Vista was join a MOPS group – Moms of Preschoolers.  This has been an amazing group of woman to get to know.  After we’d been here only a few weeks last September, Isaac was in a horrible car accident on the way to Isabelle’s surgery in Phoenix.  I was overwhelmed with a hurt husband, a daughter recovering from surgery, a car accident that wasn’t covered by insurance and living in a new area, far away from everyone I knew.  This MOPS group came and helped us in so many ways, even though we didn’t know any of them well yet.  Meals were brought to us for weeks, prayers for our family were said, and offers to help in any way possible were given.  I was so grateful for this group and all their help.

Since then I’ve gotten to know these amazing moms and they’ve become my first friends here in Sierra Vista.  2 weeks ago one of the children in our group, McKenna, was diagnosed with leukemia.  She is Isabelle’s age.  McKenna’s mom, Jamie, is a friend from this group who had a baby recently and also has a son in Elementary school.  McKenna has had to stay in the hospital and Jamie has been staying there with her and the baby while she began chemotherapy and other treatments. 

Their story hits me not only because I know Jamie, but also because I know the struggle of having a child with heartbreaking health problems.  I know how it feels to go back and forth to Tucson, being torn between your children at home and your child at the hospital.  Driving back and forth constantly, worrying non-stop, trying to have faith in Heavenly Father to get you through the unknown days ahead and on top of everything, having the financial strain of all the hospital bills on top of everything is a huge trial for anyone. 

As a MOMS group, we are doing some fundraisers to try and help the family with their upcoming financial costs.   One thing we are doing is organizing parties through home-based businesses (pampered chef, sentsy, etc), where the consultants have agreed to give what would normally be their salary for the party (usually 20% of what the party earns) to the Holland family.   The virtual catalog parties we have going are:

Online catalog parties for McKenna:

Sept. 1-14 Perfectly Post, Thirty-one, Beachbody

Sept. 15-29 Tastefully Simple, Pampered Chef, Usana

Oct. 1-14 Scentsy, Thirty-one,

Oct. 15-30 Longaberger 

Nov. 1-14 Willow Tree, Mary Kay, Usana

The facebook page with the links to these parties is here:

If you decide to purchase something, a portion of the fees will go to the Holland family.  If you’re not interested in ordering anything (which, being honest, I don’t normally do these parties so I am unfamiliar with most of these companies), we also have a donation page, where donations go directly to the Holland families PayPal account, here:

 I just wanted to share this with as many people as possible.  Like I said, this story really hits home to me. If you have any friends or family that may want to purchase something on the online parties, please share these links with them.  

In the last 2 ½ years since Isabelle was born, we have dealt with the very real stress and hardship of the financial burdens of having a sick child and I know how incredibly hard and how much additional worry it can add to a family.  Anything you can do can help.  If all you can do is remember the Holland family in your prayers that is amazing!  I saw from Isabelle the incredible power of prayer and watching Eli pray for McKenna and ask Heavenly Father to help her has been one of the sweetest experiences we’ve had as a family. 

Thanks to all of you!  I sincerely believe what Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  I believe that because I saw it happen in my family's lives as we were so blessed by our small community in Mesa that reached out to us after Isabelle was born, many of whom we barely knew at the time.  From meals that were brought to us,  diapers that were dropped off and left on our door, small children at church telling me they were praying for our family, a friend who came to our house from midnight to 3 AM and stayed up with my baby so I could get some sleep, another mom who made special play dates with Eli weekly, for more than a year, knowing that amidst all of the appointments, hospital stays and surgeries, my son wasn't getting as much special one-on-one time as he used too.  I saw so many of our prayers answered through the people around us, so many times where someones kind hand reaching out to me is what got me through the day.  I know a small group of people can change the world, because they changed my world and lifted me up through days where it seemed there was no end in sight.  Now I hope the Holland family can feel the same thing.

Here are some pictures of sweet McKenna.

 This is McKenna and her mom, Jamie.  This picture is so familiar to me, having sat by Isabelle's side through tests, surgeries and so many appointments, trying to provide her with love and comfort.

 Playing Barbies and being a kid - what she should be doing right now!

Please share this post and let people know how they can help out!  Thanks everyone!