Support For Christi Thomas

This blog is to help offer support to the Thomas Family and their daughter, Christi, in her battle against cancer. Please visit Christi's website at www.ChristiThomas.com to learn more. There, you'll find journals, photos and a lots of other information about this amazing child and her family.

A Note About Comments: When you post a Comment, please note that it will appear online after it is approved.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Jennifer


Jennifer put this lovely collage together. Some pictures are from years ago. The large one to the left (close up faces) I snapped of the two of them at Cedar Point in August. Christi wasn't feeling the greatest that day and didn't get to ride all of the rides she wanted to. Never did I imagine it'd be her final trip to a place she loved so very much. Thank you, Jennifer!

Two articles recently appeared in the Fremont News Messenger about our sweet friend, Jennifer's hard work! As I've written about Jennifer before, she met Christi many years ago and faithly supported her. Last April she asked Christi to come to her school on our spring break and I'm grateful we did. Her teachers told me how attached she was to Christi. Jennifer lovingly set up a prayer website and dedicated set times to lift Christi up in prayer. Tonight we will meet with her and some of her friends as they will plan "Christi's Tea" to be held on what would have been Christi's tenth birthday, May 12th. We hope it will be an enjoyable event for all and a nice fundraiser for the "Christi Thomas Memorial Fund".

TWO ARTICLES FROM THE NEWSPAPER ABOUT JENNIFER AND HER INSPIRIATION - CHRISTI THOMAS.

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070222/OPINION01/702220323/1014/OPINION

http://www.thenews-messenger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070219/NEWS01/70219001

3 Comments:

At 4/3/07 7:19 AM, Blogger HeatherB said...

What beautiful pictures! What a kind and generous young woman Jennifer is.

I'll be anxious to hear more about the tea as it gets closer.

With Love and Prayers,
Heather

 
At 4/3/07 9:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The death of Christi Thomas has been nothing short of a catastrophic event: an emotional tsunami, as unfathomable and devastating as the day the ocean overflowed. It has brought both believers and skeptics to their knees, head in their hands, questioning the very nature of the universe itself. Some of us have turned to our faiths, whatever they may be, to find consolation, meaning, and even a fragile peace with the events of September 19th, 2006. Others have literally been paralysed with shock. Still others have found their way through her loss with deeds of service, creating websites, foundations, art, and memorials. Still, the question remains: what would Christi Thomas, herself, ask from those of us who did not know her, or meet her, but are struggling with her death as if she were our closest friend, little sister, and even daugther? I believe the answer lies in the Blog and journals her mother, Angela Thomas, created that document the family's journey through diagnosis, treatment, and the reality of Christi's death. This family never stopped "doing". Take, for example March of 2006, when treating at CHOP, Shayne and Christi Thomas (Christi was plagued by mouth sores at the time after a particularly toxi chemo combination that did halt disease progression) went to the museum, had vanilla milk at a coffee shop, and visited a bookstore where Christi read about 75% of a chapter book. This trend of "doing" can be found througout the family's blog and is more than a mere "keep busy" attitude. The Thomas Team's "doing" is clearly about nurturing the soul and the mind: it is a direct application of the knowledge that our material circumstances, while they must be dealt with, are not all that comprise our experience. The soul transcends the body, whether it is sick or well, dressed or not, thin or fat, rich or poor. The mind generates a powerful reality, too--a book takes a child away from the pain of her mouth sores just long enough to give her respite for a few moments so that she might gather her strength for the conditions ahead. The Thomas's continued "movement" offers an excellent model to cope with the disaster that has befallen those of us who journeyed with Christi. Christi herself has issued us the challenge. Her blood drives, lemonade stands, love for learning, dance, music and theatre clearly points the way for those us twisting in the wind of her death. We must "do". Whether we organize a blood drive at our jobs, hold lemonade stands at our children's schools, or even dance, read, or sing a song, we must "do". That is Christi's philosophy summed up so precisely by her father, Shayne, as his child lay dying. "She taught us how to live (busy) and to laugh (often)". In her absence, we have nothing but her creed as witnessed by her family's journey to follow. Let us grieve. Let us pull the covers up over our heads when we need to. Let us sit with our sadness and bewilderment over the loss of our precious Christi Thomas. But let us get up, too. Let us rejoice, too. Let us always "do", the way Christi and her family do. Whether we paint pumpkins like Shayne and Shayla did the first Halloween without Christi, whether we build a snowman like they did at Christi's grave, or whether we use her life and her words as teaching moments as her mother does, we must act. We must take the covers off our heads and live busy and laugh often. It is the only way this miracle child would ask us to live. Let us use our lives as she used hers. Let us honor her, not by whithering in pain, as we are so understandably tempted to do, but by blossoming through doing. Forever nine, forever wise...Christi Thomas.

 
At 4/3/07 11:46 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jennifer is doing such an amazing thing for all these children! I really hope KCC becomes a non profit organization so she can do everything she wants for these precious children. I'm sure Christi's tea will be a great party for our amazing angel's 10th birthday. Christi will certainly be there in spirit. I found this quote on another angel's page and felt the need to share it here. I truly wish this quote could be possible so precious Christi could be in your arms forever! Stay Stong!

"If tears could build a stairwell
and memories were a lane,
I would walk right up to Heaven
and bring you home again."

 

Post a Comment

<< Home