Ellie's Elephants

Katie told me a story the other day, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. It sort of put this whole thing into perspective, this idea of focusing on a cause, doing so much work, always keeping one little girl in mind.

Anna’s fifth birthday was last week. As any kid would, she tore through gifts from her parents and her Nonny & Poppy while everyone watched. While this is all going on, her big sister Ellie took off for upstairs. Where did she go? Restroom? Jealous of all the gifts? Looking for a particular toy?

Ellie disappeared for about five minutes, silent while her family remained in the living room. Then, she emerged from upstairs with a piece of black paper (Anna’s one-time favorite color), all folded up and rudimentarily taped shut. Ellie said, “Here, Anna. This is my gift to you.” Anna opened the package to find five one-dollar bills inside. “'Cause you are five,” Ellie said.

This story—a glimpse into the heart of a sweet little girl that just loves her sister—is exactly why I love these kids so darn much and why we do so much. At the end of the day, Ellie’s just a kid. Our job is erasing this big black mark of diabetes in her life so she can have more of these moments with her family, and fewer overshadowed by insulin pumps, CGMs, and carb counts. It’s just….what we must do. So, here it is:

Sign up for the golf outing. Join our Walk team this fall. Or, maybe in honor of Ellie's generosity to her kid sister....consider donating $5 back to her.

// posted by Nicole @ 11:06 AM