What ladies and gentlemen? We find ourselves here at the end of September.
A lot of things have happened this year. Some bad things happened, but I choose not to dwell on those because as I’ve made it abundantly clear, I’m going to be focusing on the positive. And a lot of great things have happened, the biggest of which is I became a dad!
While there are many highs to becoming a parent, there are some lows that come with it, too. You can’t see it in the photo above, but I’m actually taking this particular selfie in a special nursery. Not the ones you see on TV with all the babies just chilling in it. This one is specifically for premature babies or those who have various difficulties after childbirth.
When Tiffany was giving birth to Kaiden, she suffered an infection which forced the doctors to perform a C-section on her so that both mommy and baby could survive. While the surgery went well and Tiffany recovered, Kaiden was taken away to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) for additional observation and care. He was suffering from a high breathing rate which, upon later review, was due to just stress during his journey out. Honestly, I feel like we were truly blessed that nothing else came from that ordeal. However, other families aren’t so lucky.
While visiting Kaiden in the NICU and special nursery, I was able to see how fortunate we all were. Kaiden was the biggest baby in the unit because he made it to 37 weeks. All the other newborns were so tiny and fighting for every ounce of time they could get while receiving the best care at our local hospital. It was during these moments, while I held my son, that I was proud that I’m a part of an organization that is helping these little ones see a bright future.
Of course, that organization is Extra Life!
This video-game based charitable organization is a part of the Children’s Miracle Network. Duke Children’s Hospital, which includes the NICU, are a part of this wonderful organization. Essentially, it let’s individuals like myself, gamers who want to give back to their communities, the chance to do so by doing the one thing we know how to do: play games!
This organization has been a huge part of my life before Kaiden and it means more to me thanks to Kaiden. He’s given me an opportunity to see first hand what I’m fighting for and to be able to share my experiences with you in hopes that you will help. It could have turned the other way. It could have been more serious than it turned out to be. But I owe it to the doctors, nurses, and facilities at Duke Children’s Hospital for not letting go down that way and those who are giving to the hospital to make sure other children don’t even half to be there and to take care of the unfortunate souls that do.
All, I’m asking for is just a little help. As of today (September 30th) I am at $359 of my $600 goal! And since I’ve started participating in Extra Life, I, along with countless others helping me, have raised $1,707.13 as of today!
You can help me get to the next level! You can help heal sick kids in my local community! Please join me by visiting my personal Extra Life page and donating just a few bucks! A little bit goes a long way to finding a cure for a children’s disease. A little bit goes a long way to putting a smile on child’s face while sitting in chemo! A little bit goes a long way to help a family find and afford treatment for their children.
A little bit goes a long way…
Thank you.
–Marcus “MajorLinux” Summers