My son Abram has been fighting for his life the past two years.
Abram was born with a rare genetic syndrome that is one-in-a-million and fatal. Most kids with his disease don’t live past toddlerhood without chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. This summer we moved to Seattle to begin that process for Abram in one of the finest facilities in America. Gratefully, our oldest son was a perfect 10/10 match and donated his marrow to save his little brother’s life.
For six months, while Abram received treatments in a distant state, our family stayed at the Ronald McDonald house, which is free for families of children fighting life threatening diseases. This remarkable blessing allowed us to focus on only one housing expense while juggling hospital bills, splitting our family between two states, and caring for our very sick son. Though this house wasn’t our home, it became holy ground. Some of the most humbling, profound experiences of our life occurred here.
We also lived in a hospital room for 50 consecutive days. A gymnastics mat was provided us for playtime while we were inpatient. We weren’t done with padded mat prototypes at the time but if we were, I know we would have loved a mat like this. It would have been so comforting to have a mat that provides comfort AND beauty, which isn’t commonly had in the hospital.
We can’t wait to donate these padded mats to other families with long, daunting hospital stays ahead of them.
This Giving Tuesday, words escape me in expressing how beyond excited I am to announce that our first ever Gathre Padded Mat will be launching and with it, we will be donating 100% of all its profits to the Ronald McDonald House Charities for other families who may also be facing giant obstacles ahead. Our hope is that this product will offer them a little luxury to soften the weight of their difficulty.
Ronald McDonald House charities is a safe haven for families with children who are receiving treatments for cancer or other life threatening diseases. It’s a 100% donor funded complimentary support network that includes warm meals every day, basic consumable toiletries, and a group of parents and children in like circumstances. It received a perfect 100% score on Charity Navigator.
We hope if you buy a padded mat you’ll know you are supporting families of children like Abram. This Giving Tuesday our little family is overjoyed to be giving back in a space where we have received so much and where so much is needed. We hope these mats help you and your loved ones enjoy some extra comfort and pay it forward to those in need at the same time.
xo,
Mare
