- choz37
August 4 is more than just a date.
My first blog .... ever. I’ve been praying all week, hoping I’d have the right words to share, and I’ve realized, there are no right words. All that I know is that if I lost one of my children, I have no idea how I would fill the hole or find answers for questions that should never be asked.
Our Andy’s Ambassador Austyn Halter received her initial leukemia diagnosis on August 17, 2015. She was just 2 1/2 years old. After enduring 6 harsh rounds of chemotherapy at Texas Children's Hospital with her condition worsening, she was moved to St. Jude’s. Austyn became a part of a research study, HAPNK-1 stem cell transplant, where she celebrated her "new birthday" on June 9th, 2016.
On August 4, 2017, Austyn became an angel.
Feel that. Breathe. Absorb. Oh my gosh, we’re sending so much love and support to Sarah and Josh Halter. Sarah posted a few days ago, “Do I chose to wake up every day and grieve? No. I wake up every day and know a part of me is missing.”
I’m never going to have the words that can help fill the void of a parent’s loss of their child.
So we do what we can do to show Sarah and Josh that Austyn will never, ever be forgotten. We pay tribute to them, sit in the moment, feel their pain and then take action because we're part of something bigger than us. This is why we created Andy's Challenge in the first place. There is no way to make sense of cancer and its impact on children and their families, but we can make sure this young Ambassador and others touch your heart. We continue to raise money that funds pediatric cancer research and cancer programs for the kids. We learn. We do. We care.
Please join us by giving to Andy’s Challenge today. Proceeds raised on August 4 will be donated to St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis in Austyn’s name. Austyn, would want to know that she helped save another child’s life. She still makes a difference. Austyn's voice is heard.