Some friends of mine recently told me that their grandson had been diagnosed with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS). Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome is an immune deficiency disorder in which not enough immunoglobulin M (IgM) is produced by the body. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome also causes low numbers of blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) which are also small in size, eczema, and an increased risk of developing an autoimmune disorder or cancer. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome is associated with a defective gene on the X (female) chromosome, so females tend to be carriers of the syndrome while males with the defective gene develop symptoms.

Riley is now 8 months old and will begin chemotherapy treatments in January 2007. He is a lucky little boy because his big sister Sidney (2 years old) will be donating bone marrow to her little brother, a life-saving measure.

Their story is incredibly touching and has since sparked the creation  of their blog TeamRiley.org and the creation of Team Riley logo gear.

I can’t do their story justice, but if you Visit their blog and follow this story as the time nears for Riley’s treatments to begin, you will see the power and strength of Team Riley. Team Riley is growing in numbers and we are showing our support for their family in any way we can.

It seems that this is the time of year when people think about donating to charity, giving to non-profit groups or other acts of giving. Although it should be something that is practiced year-round, it is good to know that at least part of the year some thought of giving to those less fortunate comes to mind.

A random act of kindness can often began a cycle of giving. There’s a good commercial right now that shows how that can happen…although I can’t for the life of me remember what the commercial is for!  It shows little things that people do to strangers and those strangers in turn do a good deed for someone else.

A movie starring Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osmont and Kevin Spacey, "Pay it Forward" was an exceptional example of just how far the power of giving can go.

Oprah has entire shows dedicated to the subject and recently gave audience members $1,000 with instructions that they were to give that money away to strangers.

Whether you do something simple, like pay the toll for the car in line behind you at the toll-booth…or maybe pay for lunch for the driver behind you at a drive-through restaurant….these little things can spark an ongoing cycle of giving.

Here is a great t-shirt reminding us to always Pay it Forward…(this design is available from CafePress on mugs, stickers, hats and other products in addition to t-shirts and the shop owner will use sales proceeds for random acts of kindness)

So, what can you do to start the cycle and Pay It Forward?

I’ve also created a new CafePress shop dedicated to Pet Rescue and Spay & Neuter campaigns, check it out:

Pet Rescue

I recently volunteered for Operation Photo Rescue and WE NEED HELP… All, I had hoped to begin distribution today (Wed 5/03), but to say that we have been swamped is an understatement. During the whole week that we initially spent in Pass Christian, MS, we gathered 500 photos from around 50 or so families…

read more | digg story