Juvenile Dermatomyositis - You can help!

When I lived in Columbus I attended Grace Central Church in the Victorian Village area of downtown Columbus. God provided me with great community and teachings that were the start of my understanding what the Gospel really meant. My pastor there, Greg, was a man of character who spoke constantly spoke words of wisdom into my life through his sermons. I also served on the worship team there on occasion and had the privilege of singing with Greg's wife, Charity. I'm telling you all of this to tell you about their son, Sam. You see, Sam has an illness called Juvenile Dermatomyositis (JDM). Sam is a super cool kid. I remember Greg telling stories about Sam in his sermon on occasion. While I no longer live in Columbus, I keep in touch with people from Grace Central through facebook, blogs, email, etc. (all the typical 21st century communications) and have come to learn that Sam is a very intelligent kid who LOVES Star Wars. That all seems normal except with JDM Sam lives a life of pain and fatigue. He has to go to the doctor on a weekly basis to get an IV. I'm pretty sure that's not the way life should be for a kid. When Sam goes outside to play he has to take more precautions than most kids. The sun can make his condition even worse so he wears long sleeves and pants and a hat. Can you imagine how that can be rough in summer?

So why am I telling you all of this? Well for a couple of reasons. First, I hope that you will be praying for Sam (and all kids with JDM) to be healed. I remember my childhood as one filled with worry-free joy. Shouldn't all kids have that experience? Second, and most importantly, you can help in a tangible way. Cure JM, an organization that is dedicated to finding a cure for JM is up for a Pepsi Refresh grant. Currently the are in 12th place but by the end of July (such a short time away!!) they need to be number 2 in order to get the grant. All you have to do is log in and vote. That's it. It's simple. I've voted every day for a couple of weeks and I can tell you that you don't have to worry about Pepsi sending you spam email. So log in on your email, your parents, your siblings, WHOEVER. Vote, please, for this precious kid and for all the kids out there living with JDM. With a few clicks you can change lives. No money required from you.

So here's the link: http://www.refresheverything.com/makejmamemory. Remember you must LOG IN first before you vote. And you can log in with multiple email addresses. Also, you can vote once a day. So please continue to log in and vote. Tell your friends and family. IT'S EASY. And then browse around and vote for other ideas you support (just don't vote for any other in the $250k category). With just a click you're changing lives.

And check out the video I made of pics of Sam I got from his mom, Charity. Isn't he one of the cutest kids EVER?!? Seriously. And I think after dealing with this disease and keeping that super cute smile on his face his DEFINITELY a Supehero!! So vote. Now. Do it for him. Please. And as you do it, please pray that he'll be healed. Thanks friends!!

Sam the Superhero!! from Kristi Kratzer on Vimeo.