Raise 7 for Matthew

I can't believe I haven't posted about this yet, but I guess better late than never. Back in September, my cousin (technically 2nd cousin) was playing football at a high school football game in Cowiche, WA and was tackled during a play. He did get up, but only moments later he began complaining of numbness and headache. He was rushed to the hospital where they did emergency surgery to relieve the building pressure on his brain, caused by a severe concussion. This was all a very scary time for my family. A few weeks later, though, he made it out of the ICU and headed over the mountains to Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle for rehab. He is still there and recovery is slow. He has had setbacks with infection and pain and rehab is only yet beginning again after a long break.

So, why am I telling you about this? Well, in order to raise awareness of love, support, prayers and financial resources, his team and many others are trying to start a national trend. They want everyone who knows about it to simply raise up their hands in the number 7-- Matthew's jersey number-- every time "your team" scores or does something inspiring! That's it! A pretty easy way to show support to a kid who deserves it. You can also become a fan on facebook by searching "Raise 7 for Matthew" or visit the blog Raise 7 for Matthew. The pictures are pretty inspiring.

One more little note I should add. LilyJoy had an appointment at Children's in October, so my mom and I decided to go visit Matthew and his mom. As you can imagine, his mom seemed pretty worn out. However, she has been at his side for the majority of his time in the hospital (his dad has too, but has to go home during the week to keep up his work-- he's an apple farmer and also works in the business realm of the apple industry). Any prayers you can offer on her behalf would, I'm sure, be a blessing to a weary soul.