Shortly before Christmas I was in KMart, which, like many stores these days, sometimes solicits donations from customers for worthy causes. On this day the cashier asked the woman in line ahead of me if she would like to make a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. This hospital has a remarkable success rate in treating children for cancer and they do not turn any child away. It is not what I would call a controversial cause.
The woman responded by shaking her head and saying, “No. If it were an animal cause, I would donate, but I won’t donate anything for people.”
I thought at the time it was a remarkably heartless thing to say. While I get tired of being asked for money every time I walk into a store, I recognize that charitable organizations are suffering along with everyone else during these hard economic times, and I give something when I can.
I doubt that if this particular woman had been faced with an actual child fighting cancer she would have responded in the same way. Like my father, who used to say he preferred rattle snakes to people and yet could not pass anyone with car trouble on the road without stopping to help, I suspect there is a marshmallow center underneath that woman’s icy exterior.
There is just such a child facing that battle in our community today. At about the same time I was in KMart buying stocking stuffers, five year-old Libriti Greene of Stevenson Ranch was being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoma Leukemia. Her parents, Russell and Senta, had noticed a bruise on Libriti’s stomach, which was joined by other bruises and marks, and led them to seek medical attention for their daughter. Within hours their child was diagnosed and being transported to the hospital via ambulance for treatment.
Libriti’s leukemia has gone into remission, but doctors discovered that she has a mutation called “Philadelphia chromosome,” which decreases the survival rate of those so afflicted to about 20% — devastating news for the parents of this bright and beautiful little girl. Currently Libriti is being treated with Gleevec, a costly drug with a frightening list of possible side effects, but which is helpful in controlling this deadly cancer.
Friends of the Greene family have created a facebook page called “For the Love of Libriti” and are using it to solicit support and donations to help the family better cope emotionally and financially. The Greenes are self-employed and Senta is currently expecting their third child in March. Even with insurance, their expenses are bound to be enormous. According to Wikipedia, the cost of one Gleevec tablet is $20 to $30, with the total cost of treatment with that drug estimated at $32,000 to $98,000. (Is it any wonder that 60% of U.S. bankruptcies come as a result of medical bills?)
If you can spare a few minutes, I encourage you to visit the facebook page and offer your moral support in whatever way you can. Checks and gift cards can be sent to For the Love of Libriti, P.O. Box 55764, Santa Clarita, CA 91385. Paypal donations can be made to loveoflibriti@gmail.com.
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