A friend in need...

Hi everyone,

I am forwarding this from an original email my parents sent out today. The email below is about someone near and dear to my heart. She is a person that has the distinct title of being my original "other mother". As most of you know I have a lot of mom figures out there that have made an impact on my life but Trish is someone that was the very first to do so. She is a remarkable person with a huge spirit and I can't imagine my life without her. I don't even know where to begin to let you know what type of person she is...she just puts you at ease, makes you feel so comfortable, makes you feel so special, and helps you feel at peace when you're around her. I will let the email my parents wrote below tell the rest of the story. If you are unable to help please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you so much for reading this!

Love,

Sierra

Forwarded message:

We have never done this before but feel compelled right now to contact everyone we can to ask for your help. You can read on, after this request, to get the whole story. But here's the short version:

Our friend Tricia was recently discovered to have malignant melanoma, and it's spread. She had a second surgery today and faces another, plus additional treatment. She has no insurance and, being self-employed, she now has no income. Tricia's plan was to sell her house later this summer and use the proceeds to move to Ohio to be near her daughter and grandchildren. Now, any money made from the sale of the house will go towards medical bills and/or hospice care. We plan to help her out but can't do it all, so we're reaching out to ask your help (our personal version of a 5k fundraiser).

If you can find it in your heart, and wallet, to help Tricia, please send what you can in this manner:

· Send it in cash (wrap it in paper or put it in a card, other than that you'll have to put your faith in the postal system, but it's going to a locked box so should be okay)

· Send it without your return address on the outside

· Do not mention this email or our names

· If you would like to, please include a note of encouragement or just say something like "to help you through"

· Do not sign your name; use some unidentifiable signature (i.e. a friend, someone who cares, etc.)

· Mail to:

I don't want to post her personal information on this blog, if you would like her address please email me or leave a comment requesting this and I will be happy to email you the address.


The reason we want it sent in cash, with no mention of names, is so Tricia can't trace it and won't feel obligated to thank individuals. She'll be able to embrace it as the gift it is. Also, please don't let us know whether you do or don't send her something; we don't have the desire or feel the need to monitor this effort. We're taking it on faith that enough people will reach out to make a difference.



If you're really, really uncomfortable with the cash thing, maybe you could contribute towards her mortgage payment. The only information we have is that it's at Cashmere Valley Bank. Their contact information is:

Again, please contact me if you would like this information.


Please feel free to forward this email to others who might be willing to help. If anyone has questions or is concerned about the legitimacy of the request, they may call us.

Dan & Jennifer

Now, the full story:

We've known Tricia for nearly 30 years. We met her when we placed Sierra, at almost 2 years old, in her daycare. It was the most unorthodox, unstructured, crazy, creative, and totally loving place I've ever seen. The children were absolutely treasured!

Tricia started as a registered nurse in Denver. She helped get Denver's Ronald McDonald House and Portland's Dougy Center in ( www.Dougy.org) off the ground. After two children from her Wenatchee home daycare became terminally ill and died, she decided to devote her life to children and families in crisis. Building on her prior experience, and training with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Tricia began working with local kids facing life-threatening illnesses, and their families. She mortgaged her property and used the money to incorporate as a non-profit organization, recruiting volunteers, raising funds, and providing support for hundreds of people through the years. She's even taken her work to places like Columbine to work with survivors of the school shooting.

Tricia is an unusual composition and I think she'd agree with our description of her: she's brilliant but often can't find things; she can be variously described as flaky or focused, frustrating or wonderful, caring or a pain. It depends on what day it is, what's happening, what mood you or she is in, and what needs to be done.

Some of you know Tricia; others don't. The ones who know her may not always agree with her choices or methods (we often haven't). But we do know this: she has devoted all of her adult life to helping others. Everything she's done, while at times considered unorthodox or "what the heck is she thinking?!?!" activities us "regular" people, has always been guided by her unshakable faith and driven by her unfailing vision of what needs to be done to help kids. People like Tricia aren't always understood or appreciated in this world, but they are needed.

If you've ever read a news story and thought, gee, I wish I knew what to do to help, this is one time you can.