From Alli

I got this email from Number One's girlfriend Allison, whom I love. She is starting grad school in TX and has recently made a new and good friend, and wants to spread the word about her and their family's needs. I read quite a bit of their blog and am left wondering how mysterious it is that God allows such good people to carry the heaviest crosses in life...

One of my new classmates has a young daughter (Leah Grace; she's 4) who had a heart transplant a little over a week ago.  Everyone is of course excited that she has a chance to live, but Leah still has a long recovery ahead of her, and she faces many struggles with her new heart.  Leah will have to have surgery annually and will be on steroids and anti-rejection medications for the rest of her life.  Plus, the transplant and transplant-related expenses alone are estimated to be at $75,000.  So Leah's family is (and has been for over 18 months) raising money through Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA).  Here is Leah's (COTA) page where one can make a donation and learn more about her.  As you can see, they are more than half way to their goal!
We are having fundraisers here, and I was asked to send out an email to all of my "non-departmental Waco friends" informing them of one such fundraising event.  The thing is, I don't have many non-departmental Waco friends yet.  And that's why I'm emailing you!  I need to spread the word about fundraising in other ways.  Would you mind sharing Leah's story and some of her links on your blog?  I know you have a lot of followers, and maybe some of them will feel called to donate to Leah's fund.  Even a couple of dollars would get them closer to their goal.
Here is the family blog.  The Parkers have been great about posting every day, and have been incredibly courageous and cheerful throughout this whole thing.  Click "older posts" a few times to see how far Leah has come this week.
And one more link--a video of Katie (Leah's mom) talking about Leah's heart condition.  It's long (10 minutes) and quite sad, but it puts things in perspective.