Project Gratitude

If you are reading this, thank you. You have made a difference in my life and in Maisy’s this week. As you all know, Maisy spent 48 hours in the ICU this week due to an inflammatory disease of the spinal cord. We still don’t know what caused it (test results will be back next week), and she is still very sick, but she is well enough to be home.

And that’s because of you.

Maisy and I have had so much support this week, I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude. True story: when I told my therapist about what you guys did, she cried. And then asked for permission to share our story with her husband and colleagues.

In just over 24 hours, you all donated enough money to cover her medical bills. I cannot even tell you how much of a blessing this has been. As a social worker, I live paycheck to paycheck, and while I have an emergency savings account, it was not big enough to cover the estimate I was given when Maisy was admitted. It was wonderful to be able to authorize the tests, care, and treatment that her vet recommended without having to worry about the cost. This gives Maisy the very best chance for a complete recovery, and I am so, so, so thankful to each and every one of you.

But you all have also given us your emotional support, which was just as valuable. So many people were holding Maisy in their thoughts and prayers. I absolutely believe in the power of intention. I believe that sending positivity and good energy into the universe makes a difference. I believe you all helped Maisy get well by doing so. Thank you.

There were times this week that I was scared I was going to lose my girl. The smallest moments- waking up with her on my pillow, going for a walk before bed, eating food with a scruffy little begging face staring up at me- were the ones I missed the most. Today I am eternally grateful that I will have more of these.

Last night on facebook, I asked for donors to email me with their address if they’d like a thank you card. Everyone replied that they would prefer that I pay it forward instead. So I will. To that end, I’d like to introduce Project Gratitude.

If you donated to Maisy this week, whether with emotional or financial support, and if you’d like to be publicly thanked, please email me at reactivechampion(at)gmail(dot)com with your name and a link (to your blog, website, etc.). These will be posted on the new Project Gratitude tab up top.

Starting in October, I will begin a monthly practice of donating money to a needy person or to a charitable group. This person or group will probably (but not necessarily) be animal-related, and I will donate what I can. Some months it may be a smaller amount than others, but if I’ve learned anything this week, it’s that everything counts. If you have a cause you’d like me to consider for my monthly donation, please email me at reactivechampion(at)gmail(dot)com. It’s going to take me awhile to get through the list - with over 80 financial donors (and many more emotional supporters), this is a 5+ year project!

If you would like a donation of my time instead, I’m open to discussing that as well. Feel free to email me with what you’re thinking of- time spent at a local volunteer event, some editing, a guest post, whatever- and we can discuss if it’s possible.

Finally, a number of you chose to be anonymous with your financial donations, and if you’d prefer to remain that way, feel free to either comment on this post anonymously or use a throw-away email address. I’d be happy to post a link or a short statement or even a picture in memory or honor of someone on the Project Gratitude page.

Watch for updates to the Project Gratitude tab, and then look for the monthly blog post detailing that month’s featured giving. While I will never be able to express just how very grateful I am, I hope that in this small way, I am able to pay your kindness and generosity forward. Thank you. I love you all.