Helping Moms Make Connections
One of the most rewarding aspects of working at Parents is when we are reminded that the stories we do make such a difference in people's lives. Here's an example I just learned about today: In February, we ran a photo essay about an adorable little boy, Liam Witt (pictured here), who was being treated for nueroblastoma, a horrendous type of childhood cancer. We called our piece Prince Liam the Brave, which is what his mom calls him because of the resilience he's shown through this whole ordeal. One of our Canadian readers, Marie-Ève LaForte, whose own son, LP. had spent some time in a hospital, was so moved by the photos that she sent Liam a "Little Prince" book and backpack. And she made a contribution to Band of Parents, an organization that Liam's mom and dad have set up to raise money for nueroblastoma research. (Marie-Ève, a mommy blogger, details the story on her blog.) Gretchen Holt, Liam's mom, was so touched by the stranger's generousity that she wrote about it on her blog. And better yet, she invited Marie-Ève and LP to help celebrate Liam's fourth birthday in Central Park next month. "We feel incredibly honored that they thought about including us in their celebration, and even an earthquake could not prevent us from making it there," Marie-Ève wrote. There sure is cause to celebrate: Liam is cancer free and a wonderful friendship has been formed! We're so proud of our role in this story.
