Dear friends at OMF,
Today was Whitney’s birthday. I know you asked me if I wanted to post a Facebook fundraiser for the occasion, but I just couldn’t seem to think about it. It’s his 36th birthday and he’s spent so much of his life alone in his bed unable to talk or eat. I think I just couldn’t think about it until today. And I really was feeling sad today. Whitney loved life so much, was always so inspiring to everyone he knew, opening their eyes to music, beauty and his own quirky humor in a way that really captivated them. And us. It’s almost unbearably painful to think about another year going by and he’s still stuck lying there alone.
I know that Whitney is fighting for his life and that he is also fighting for all people with this horrid disease. He constantly tells me that he wants to help people more. He also is very grateful for all your incredible, dedicated efforts to raise money for his Dad’s research, and I know he’s pretty amazed at how much you’ve been able to raise. So I want to tell you that I know he’s grateful for all of you.
I also know that the one thing he would want for his birthday would be for the research that his dad and amazing colleagues are doing to go faster. So even though it is the end of his birthday day, if anyone would like to send him a birthday gift, he would want it to be a donation to OMF so that could happen. He’s so desperate to get better and for everyone to get better. So if anyone would like to send a gift in his name I know he’d really feel grateful. Next time he takes Ativan I’ll be able to tell him about it.
Please share this letter so that Whitney’s 36th birthday might contribute to treatments and a cure coming faster. I really pray that his next birthday will find him better enough to enjoy the day with us.
With gratitude,
Janet
Donate your appreciated stock directly to OMF and you can receive an immediate income-tax deduction for the fair market value of the securities on the date of transfer (even if you originally paid much less for them).