My love, my son Sullivan - I hope you look back on this one day and realize the importance of helping others before helping ourselves. That you understand wealth and value are not measured by the amount of materialistic things you possess in life's toy box - but by what you're able to give back. That we don't need an authority in church or a book to learn what compassion and kindness is about. We do it because simply put - its the right thing to do.
I hope you look back on this one day and realize no matter how small, we are all capable of tremendous things.(Sully's birthday in April has now been turned into a donation event! In lieu of gifts we sent out a similar letter to our friends & family attending his birthday asking for a small contribution instead. In addition, we are asking everyone we know to please take a moment and read below and consider making a small donation!)
A letter from Sullivan
“I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.” – Maya Angelou
Dear Friends & Family,
My name is Sullivan, but most of you know me as Sully. I may be a little guy but mommy says that sometimes the smallest people are capable of the biggest things! I have a very special request; I would like for you to help my family and I raise money so that my friend Wyatt can get a healthy heart.
My Mommy and Auntie Jillian have been friends for almost 15 years. Auntie Jillian is Wyatt’s mommy, and right now, he’s still living in her tummy. He won’t have a birthday until July because he’s only 20 weeks along. The doctor’s found out last week that Wyatt’s heart is a very special heart – the left side of his heart isn’t growing like it should. His special heart has a big name; Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome or HLHS. It’s actually the worst ouchie a baby can be born with on its heart, (the most severe congenital heart defect). If it doesn’t get fixed then HLHS is 100% fatal.
Wyatt’s Mommy & Daddy love him more than anything and have decided to let the doctors try to put a band aid on his heart (there is no current cure for HLHS) so that he can hopefully do all of the things that I’m doing now like chasing my dogs and playing in the park; But before he can do those things he is going to have to have three big heart surgeries, all before he is two years old! The first one will have to be only a few days after he is born. Mommy says that also means expensive hospital stays, time off of work for Wyatt’s family, lots of different kinds of costly medicines, special doctors and a lot of extra care and love.
We all want Wyatt to be born with the healthy heart that he deserves. It gave Mommy an idea; If we can’t fix his heart we can at least raise money and awareness so that the doctor’s can!
My family believes in the importance of helping others, especially when its people we love. Mommy, Daddy and I agree that helping Wyatt get a healthy heart is one of the most important things we’ve ever raised money or donated our time for. Would you please consider making a donation for Wyatt’s heart? (I’d sell candy bars at your door, but Mommy says I’m too little for that and everyone is always on a diet anyways.)
My Mommy & Daddy have linked up an account to theirs for Baby Wyatt’s Heart Contribution. (Setting up a trust required lots of paperwork & LAWYERS and we’re just not that fancy!) They said that we have some very special family and friends that would probably help us out.
All money received for Baby Wyatt will be placed into a savings hold account for him in my Mommy and Daddy’s name at the Bank of America Newbury Park Branch until it is sent to Wyatt. The bank said this was the best way to set this up, since we're asking only close family and friends and because this isn't a foundation. Because Wyatt is a minor and not born yet, setting up an actual Trust account will get very tricky. But we gladly will receive whatever contribution you are willing to make for this cause be it pennies or dollars - and pinky swear we are not planning to buy a new car or go to Disneyland with the money.
No amount is too little, just like no heart ever is!
Thank you for your help on behalf of all of us! – Sullivan Curtis
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