Some of you may or may not know that my 12 year old son (Jordan) was recently diagnosed with liver disease – of which they know very little about in children.
Diet and exercise are two of the most important components to try to “stall” the increasing bad liver enzymes he has been experiencing. While I can control what he eats at home I am not so fortunate with what he eats at school (unless I pack a lunch but …)
Anyhow, I was recently made aware of this non-profit organization in Chicago who is on a mission to win $50K from Pepsi in order to bring healthy snacks to after school programs in the area.
While I don’t live in Chicago and this won’t directly impact me I feel compelled to help them since Chicago has such a vast number of children who live below poverty level. And we all know that buying healthy food is more expensive than the bad snacks.
What I’m asking of you is to please, please vote for them every day to win this $50K from Pepsi.
This link is Pepsi’s so you will either have to create an account or connect with Facebook. Once you connect with Facebook then you have to click on the “voting” link a 2nd time. The first time connects to FB and the 2nd one will actually register your vote. (you will see the #10 on the lower, left hand side of the screen” change to a 9 after successfully submitting your vote.
So here’s the link: http://www.refresheverything.com/XXICenturyKids1stFoundation
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Twitter: PLANETwebfoot
February 22, 2010 at 8:26 am
This is a great cause! Thanks for putting the word out. I voted and I will be making sure to spread the word as well.
PLANETwebfoot´s last blog ..Monetizing a Social Network
Cheryl – thanks so much (on my behalf and theirs!).
Hey there Michelle,
Firstly, sorry to hear about your little guy – I didn’t even know kids could get liver disease (always thought it was mainly adults and via alcohol consumption). Here’s to Jordan’s health and a speedy “recovery”.
Secondly, this is a great charity you’ve found and kudos to you for trying to help, even though you’re not in the area. I’ll definitely pop on over and check it out.
Cheers!
Danny.
Danny Brown´s last blog ..Little Green Men
Danny – thanks so much for your comment. We honestly didn’t know either and I think that even the doctors are at a loss of what to do since it is primarily an adult’s disease.
We also learned apparently there is liver disease that is non-alcoholic related though my guy is a funny one and he asked the doctor – how do you know my mom isn’t making me drink vodka for breakfast? (he still thinks that joke is funny).
I really, really appreciate your support of their foundation – when you find a charity that is doing what “hits” close to home it’s important (IMHO) to help them out, even if they aren’t in your direct area.
I just put in a vote! I love how companies are taking advantage of facebook to help give and raise money for charities!
Tom@Dog Kennel Fence´s last blog ..Dog Kennel Fence
Tom – thanks for the vote!
I read a post the other day about some charity that brought in $90K via social media and the recent event in Haiti probably has even more astounding numbers.
Twitter: Invesp
February 26, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Sorry for your sons condition, I hope my single vote will bring you closer to this worthy cause.
Conversion rate – John.S´s last blog ..2009 – How did the recession impact your company?
John:
Thank you so much for the vote. I believe their final placement was Number 12 – final results come out on March 22nd.
What a great cause!
I stopped by to welcome you to SITS! It’s great to have you in the SITStahood!
Sandy – so great to meet you via SITS.
I am so sorry to hear about your son, I will keep you and your family in my thoughts for a easy recovery. I will pop in and place my vote! Stopping by to welcome you to SITS, it is great to meet you
Mommyof2Girlz´s last blog ..Follow Me Fridays & Friday Follow
Mommyof2Girlz:
Thanks for stopping by to say hi!
Def going to have to stop by your blog and read your post on Follow Me Fridays. (BTW, would love to meet you on Twitter as well – I love to hang out there, even if I don’t get as much time to be there as I would like somedays).
@mmangen
What a great cause to support. I’m sorry to hear about your son.
Dropping in from SITS to welcome you to our little community.
Rachel Cotterill´s last blog ..Sixth Sense? Seventh?
Rachel:
Thanks so much for stopping by – I really appreciate it! (and can’t wait to get to know you better too).
What a brilliant idea, and how wonderful of you to help out– even though it doesn’t directly benefit your son, I believe the good karma you’re putting out there will most definitely return to you soon!
Wanted to welcome you (and all the writers here!) to SITS. It’s a great group to grow your blog. Let me know if you have any questions!
~Elizabeth
Elizabeth:
I am all about good karma!
Can’t wait to get to know you better too – for some reason your blog sounds so familiar to me – I’ll have to check it out and see if I have been by before.
Thanks again!
I like the idea and I voted!!! Our kids need it…
Stopping by to welcome you to SITS! We are so excited to have you join us and can’t wait to get to know you better! Have a fantastic day!!!
Jill:
Thanks for the vote and for stopping by to say hello!
Can’t wait to get to know you better too – by the looks of your URL you may have a house full?
I am visiting from SITS, welcome to the sitsahood!
sorry to hear about your son.
great post, thanks for the putting the word out.
amber´s last blog ..Birth Story
Amber – thank you! I can’t believe how many SITS members stopped over this weekend. I’m actually trying to figure out what caused the sudden increase in visits. (maybe you can give me a hint?)
I will gladly pass this info on! Hugs to you and your little guy!!
Stopping by from SITS!
Jeannie´s last blog ..LOL Caturday!
Jeannie:
Thanks so much for stopping by and so great to meet another SITS member!
Just voted! Wanted to tell you hello as I was stopping by from SITS!
Heather:
Thanks for the vote and the hello from SITS!
Stopping by from SITS to say welcome to the fold!
I voted and will certainly keep your son and your family in my thoughts!
Donnetta´s last blog ..Sunday, Sunday
Donnetta:
Thanks – there are so many SITS members to meet yet! It could be full time just keep up with that crew, couldn’t it? I love to read the featured posts (though admittedly I haven’t been by in awhile).
Well, that certainly sounds like a good cause. My mom has liver disease and my sibs and I are all being tested. I will pray for your son and certainly cast my vote in favor of this. Welcome to SITS!
Kim
Kim McLaughlin´s last blog ..Giveaway Winner and an Announcement!!!
Kim:
Did the doctors tell you it may be hereditary? The ones we’ve seen so far don’t really seem to know how to handle liver disease in children.
I will def keep your family in my prayers as ell.
Thank you for supporting this contest! My little guy (age 21 months) has a Urea Cycle Disorder (his liver is missing an enzyme) so I know all too well the struggle (and fear) of finding foods that suit your child’s health needs.
I came over from SITS to say “welcome!!!” and very much enjoyed “meeting” you today!
Mindy
mindy´s last blog ..does this lack of self-control make my butt look big?
Mindy:
Oh my prayers are with you and your family. How did you find out your son was missing an enzyme? We got back to the doctor for my son’s next scheduled appointment the middle of this month. There hasn’t been much change so far so most likely we’ll be doing a biopsy soon.
I was so happy to find the Kids1st Pepsi Refresh Challenge and was more than happy to support it in anyway that I could because of how important healthy eating is for my son. I wanted to give their foundation every chance they could to help families who cannot afford healthier food (and schools aren’t known for the best options either).
Can’t wait to converse with you more and so glad to have met you via SITS.
Twitter: GrowMap
March 1, 2010 at 2:35 pm
When I voted just now the site indicates this cause is currently 5th in the voting. I used the Tweet button so perhaps it will get more votes.
The best thing you can do for your son is get him some natural high quality nutrition. The easiest way to do that is to find a source of organic food. You can grow your own or buy it through Consumer Supported Agriculture or an Organic Food Coop.
Something else that can make a huge difference is avoiding toxins. One of the worst is Aspartame used in diet soda and foods and now found in all kinds of packaged foods you would never suspect. The last time I looked it was even in high-fiber All Bran cereal!
One way to reduce exposure is to switch to Dr. Bronner’s organic soaps. Most people do not realize that their skin and scalp absorb everything we put on them and most of what we touch and most products sold for personal use contain chemicals that accumulate in our bodies. The more we absorb the more they affect us.
If you want more information on how to reduce toxic exposure and my favorite organic products just ask. I will be launching a new blog about this subject later this month.
Gail @ Support Small Businesses´s last blog ..KeywordLuv: How Using It Benefits Us All
Gail:
You are so awesome – for lots of reasons!
1. Thanks for the resources, I will def check into them. As for your organic blog, please do keep me up to date on that. I have a lot to learn yet and a lot of changes to make for his overall well-being.
2. Thank you for voting for Kids1st – they ended up in 12th place I believe but the final results don’t come out until March 22nd, I believe.
Michelle
Such a great cause! I hope your little one gets better!
Just wanted to stop by and say Welcome to SITS! Glad to meet you!!
Sarah Ruth
Sarah Ruth´s last blog ..My Husband Rocks Friday
Sarah:
Thanks for stopping by and for your well wishes for my son.
I’m going to have to read your post on “My Husband Rocks Friday” – I want to know what that’s about!
Michelle
So sorry to hear about your little man… great cause though.
Stopping over from SITS!
Erica – thanks so much for stopping by. I haven’t been by SITS in awhile because I’m dealing with Jordan (son) and some other things. Will def have to stop by your blog as well – after all that’s what we do, right!?
Michelle
I’m so sorry to hear about your son’s liver problems. I really hope the doctors can help him!
And it shows a great deal about your character that you are helping to promote this charity even though it’s not in your area.
Stopping by from SITS! Welcome!
Cheers
- CoconutPalmDesigns
Coconut Palm:
Thank you so much for stopping by. I have to admit I’ve been behind on my own blogging as well as visiting my favorite blogs (including SITS) but somehow a whole slew of you wonderful women stopped by to read this post and I can’t say how much I appreciate it!
Thank you,
Michelle
What a fantastic cause! I have put in my vote and sent it to my Facebook friends
Welcome to SITS!
Lindsay @ Kids Are Teachers´s last blog ..Free Samples!!
Lindsay:
Thank you on all three accounts – for the vote, for sharing on FB and for stopping by from SITS!
Michelle
Michelle,
Thanks so much for sharing this information on this wonderful cause.
Stopping by from SITS to say, Welcome to our Community!
Robyn:
Sending smiles and appreciation your way!
Gotta love SITS!
Michelle
Wow, that must be really tough for your son to deal with at such a young age. At 12 the most worries on my mind were not getting beat up and trying to have cool clothes to wear. I couldn’t imaging having to deal with that at such a young age. It’s good to see that you got involved in a cause that directly affected the well-being of kids who might otherwise not have that opportunity. I will keep you and your son in my prayers, being a single mom most be tough and demanding, a 24/7 job for sure!
Greenlants:
My son is quite the little comedian and his specialist is from Poland and therefore has a bit of an accent and says “liver” as “lee-ver” so my son walks around always referring to his liver as “lee-ver”.
Yesterday a friend of mine called and asked Jordan how he was doing – he said, “I’m good, my lee-ver’s not”.
BTW, I just noticed your URL – I will have to send him to your site (maybe he’s already found it) he loves his Xbox Live!
Michelle
You, your son and family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
Stay strong!
We SITSTAHS will be here to support you.
Welcome to SITS
Much Luv,
Karen
Karen´s last blog ..Fun!Fun!Fun! with Friday Follows
Karen:
Thank you for the support and welcome into SITS.
Michelle
What a great cause! I am heading over to vote right now.
I am so sorry for your son, I will keep him in my prayers.
Stopping by from SITS, welcome to our awesome group!!!
Kisha
Kisha Floren´s last blog ..Bitch and Moan Monday
Kisha:
I appreciate your vote for their great cause as well as the welcome into SITS!
Michelle
Michelle,
Thanks for sharing this post about the charity and about your son.
Keep doing good things and staying positive!
Best,
Justin
Justin:
Thanks! I swear your guest post will be on my site soon – just need to get into my blogging grove again first!
Michelle
Twitter: joytotheblog
March 2, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Gosh I’m really sorry to hear about your son. I will add my vote.
p.s. Welcome to the SITS community!
joy´s last blog ..were these shoes really made for walking?
Joy:
Thanks for everything!
Michelle
I am sorry to hear of your son’s diagnosis. It is so painful to see our kids suffer. As for diet in our children of today it is so tough when even the schools give them junk for lunch. I have a small ranch and donote much of my produce to a local agency that helps give it to families in need. I only wish others would help feed the poor this way instead of giving them food stamps to buy more junk.
Sally:
Oh kind of you to donate fresh produce from your ranch to local agencies – I am certain they must really appreciate that!
Michelle
Hi there…Wanted to stop by and welcome you to SITS, we love that you recently joined us! I hope you meet a ton of new friends (I know I have).
Sorry to hear about your son and his recent diagnosis. That has to be tough. I will click on the link above and hope it will help. Take care!
Tammy´s last blog ..Aloha Friday-Guess My Age
Tammy:
I have been enjoying SITS and need to get into a groove of stopping by there every day. I have met some great bloggers on the site and really love when I get to read the featured Sistah of the day.
It’s so sad that we need a movement to fed our children properly but we do. An important cause indeed!
I am stopping by from SITs to say welcome to the party:-)
Susie – thanks for the welcome into SITS.
Michelle,
Sorry to hear about your little one. You are really doing good things.
Stopping by from SITS to say welcome
Stefanie – thank you so much!
This is a great idea. I am going to go over a vote.
Jen – thanks for your vote!
Twitter: dawntrenee
March 4, 2010 at 8:48 am
OMG I was just trying to catch up on my Google Reader and came across your blog post. I am so sorry to hear about your son. My nephew was born with a very rare liver disease called alagille’s which I’m sure is not what your son has, but I can feel for you and what you must be going through.
I am in the Chicago area and I will definitely look into this.
Dawn – oh, I’m so sorry for your nephew – how hard that must be for his parents. Knowing that you are in IL I should have sent you a DM when their campaign was going on – darn me for not thinking of that.
Twitter: http://mycibb.com
March 5, 2010 at 12:37 am
in fron of children think and do only positives. thanks
Muthukumar@dofollow backlinks free´s last blog ..The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Sachin should be given Bharat Ratna: Ganguly
Muthukumar – thanks!
Hi Michelle,
I’m really sorry because your son’s disease. I’ll vote for pepsi project right now. I’m on your side.
John
John:
Thanks!