I have been attempting to keep the FB wall at least up to date with the latest in steals, deals, and ways to give!
Here is an incredible story from my friend, Elita. She has an incredible inspiring story to share of faith, love, and miracles... all which encompass the true #reasonfortheseason. GET HER iTUNE by searching for artist Elita Galvin, or song name: I Know You're Good.
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| Elita, and her own photo credit ;) |
Sometimes in life the rare opportunity comes along
to help someone else, and blesses you in ways you could
have never imagined. And sometimes those
opportunities come in the form of the littlest people...
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| photo courtesy of Elita Galvin |
Little Caleb Ravina was born in December of 2010
with a disease called biliary atresia.
This disease attacks the liver, and in Caleb’s case meant this little
guy would need a big surgery by his first birthday…a liver transplant. Without it, his chances of survival would be
non-existent.
Caleb’s mom and I became
fast friends as kids at our church Sunday School growing up. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever
met, and already had one son who had some major (albeit non-life threatening)
medical issues of his own. She moved to
Washington state several years ago to be closer to her mom, who had re-married
and re-located from their native Maine.
When I first heard from her about Caleb’s
condition and all that it entailed, one of my first feelings was
helplessness. I don’t live anywhere near
close enough to be of any physical help, and we aren’t exactly rolling in money at our house. What could we do?
Caleb's mom and I used to sing in a choir as
teenagers, and I have always loved to write and sing. My husband suggested that I find a way to leverage
that musical talent and connection. This
simple idea took on a life of its own, it turned into an amazing opportunity to bless and be blessed by this
adorable baby boy who had somehow found his way straight to our hearts even
though we had never met him, and maybe never will.
----------------------------
I
wrote a song based on the Facebook posts I was seeing from Lindsey, Caleb's mom. She was also
positive, and her faith was so strong and deep that it made me take a long,
hard look at my own.
Writing the song was just the first step;
* My dad, who is a brilliant pianist, had
already heard the song, loved it, loved the idea of using to help Caleb even
more, and had agreed to play it.
* Corey DeRoche, who happens to be an excellent
guitarist, found out about the project and offered his recording space.
As we sat down together and began to talk
it through, we realized this project had the potential to be a whole lot more
special. We decided to talk to a couple
of our friends at the church where I grew up and see if we could record it
live, right there in the church where Lindsey and I had met, gone to Sunday
School together, and sung together with our friends.
* Our friend Isaac West agreed to record and mix for us.
* Tim Chalifour,
agreed to lend his incredible vocals
* and another friend, Justin Havu, sat in
on the drums.
In the meantime, Caleb had already surpassed all
expectations and his first birthday came and went and he was still with
us. However, he was not doing well and
we all realized that even if the song was released, without a miracle for
Caleb, he wouldn’t be with us much longer.
Monday, April 2 was a normal day for most people
I’m sure. For myself and for Lindsey, it
was an amazing day we will never forget. It will forever stand out as
the day we saw first-hand that God does hear us, and that miracles happen.
April 2, 2012, the song I wrote for Caleb,
recorded with all our wonderful friends and my dad, was released on
iTunes. On the very same afternoon, in a
twist of fate we never could have imagined, planned, or anticipated; Caleb got his
liver transplant.
To date Caleb is doing well all things
considered. He has good days and bad
days, and he has a long road ahead of him.
I get to see his life in pictures and in the stories his mom tells me on
the phone. Someday, I hope to meet this
little boy who changed my life in a big way.
Because through him and his incredible mom, I learned the meaning of
faith in a whole new way. I learned that
I can do anything I set my mind to. I learned that no gift, no talent is too
small to be used for good for someone else.
You can help too!
Caleb’s song, as we affectionately call it, is called “I Know You’re
Good” under the artist name Elita Galvin.
Every penny of the proceeds will go directly to help Caleb in his
continued journey. To learn more about
Caleb and his journey, you can also follow his facebook page www.facebook.com/hope4caleb.
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