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On
January 6th 2007, I was sitting in the corner of a small office at
Johns Hopkins Hospital, looking into the eyes of a young couple with
their 2 year old son. There was a mysterious look of concern on
their faces, or maybe it was confusion, As I watched the little boy
struggle to return to a standing position after picking up a ball
that had been thrown to him by Dr. Crawford, I realized, the
information they were about to be given, was not what they had hoped
to hear. Dr. Crawford had just spent the better part of several
hours playing with the little boy, analyzing his every move and
performing some necessary tests. They knew there were some mobility
issues, but continued to hope they were correctable.
There was a sense of relief when Dr. Crawford re-entered the room
and said, “Don’t get rid of your college fund”, followed by, “If he
finds the right girl, he may be able to walk down the aisle”. The
little boy had just been diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy
known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The sense of relief was quickly
replaced with a feeling of concern when they were told that their
son would lead a life filled with challenges. He would struggle to
go up and down stairs, he would not be able to run and activities
that we consider normal for children would not be a part of his
future, unless, through research, a cure is found.
What made the situation so unreal was that the couple I had been
watching was my own son and his wife. The little boy was my
grandson, Julian. I know we all had the same questions running
through our minds. How could this be real? What can be done? Is
their a treatment? For me, there was one more question. What could I
do?
For the following two years, I volunteered to be a captain of the
annual Stride and Ride Fundraiser. During that period, our team
raised $60,000. This was designated to be applied to research. But,
I felt a need to do more. I wanted to help other programs and could
only do this by starting my own charity.
On July 16th 2008, “Our Little Jewels, Inc.” was started. We will
help fund programs that give physically and mentally challenged
children a chance to live a better life, through swimming,
therapeutic horseback riding and track and field programs.
This will be a tremendous organization if you help support us.
Please, Help Us, Help Them !
Sincerely,
Jim Lewis – President “Our Little Jewels, Inc.”
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