Blessings from Friends, Family, and Strangers

The past couple of months have been a whirlwind of emotions for us, especially the past few weeks as we anxiously prepare for our next visit to Philadelphia to meet with the doctors again at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  We should get a better picture of Liam’s condition since our last visit and hopefully get some clue as to what we can expect come October.  More importantly, we are getting really excited about welcoming Liam to the world.  Our excitement far outweighs our anxiety and fears.  We have to keep telling people that we’re still excited about Liam and not to pity us and they should get excited too.  Yes, we’ll face challenges that other families won’t have to deal with but he’ll be a boy just like any other boy.

As you could expect, many people in our situation would question “Why us?” and may question why God lets bad things happen to good people.  These thoughts never crossed our minds; if anything our faith has been made stronger.  This is in large part due to all the support we have received from our friends, family, and even complete strangers.  We’d like to take the time to thank all of those who’ve shown us love and support over the past couple months.

When we first learned about Liam’s condition and the need to travel to Philadelphia to see the specialists there, we were initially worried whether or not we could afford to provide the care needed to give Liam the best fighting chance possible.  We immediately prayed that God would give us the strength and would see to our needs.

Our prayers were answered immediately; within 24 hours our friends and family had rallied behind Liam and graciously provided us with the ability to make a last-minute, unplanned trip to Philadelphia for our first consultation with the doctors at CHOP.  You cannot imagine how blessed we felt when we learned of all the support our friends showed us in our time of need.  And it didn’t stop there.  We are constantly receiving cards, emails, and encouraging words of support that are just as appreciated as any monetary support we have received.

We would also like thank the Botetourt Town and County Women’s Club for their generous support.  This fantastic group of ladies graciously held a yard sale with all the proceeds going to help us with Liam’s upcoming medical costs.  We were flabbergasted as Allison’s mom sent us texts with how much had been made during the yard sale.  We cannot thank these women enough and the greater Botetourt County community for all the support you’ve given us.

And finally, we’d like to especially thank Burgess and Alisha Lindsey for taking the initiative to set up a fundraising page to help raise funds to cover Liam’s medical expenses.  Burgess is one of Ian’s roommates and closest friends from VMI, who also happens to be expecting a little girl come November!  We were deeply touched when Burgess said he wanted to help us by setting up the page.  He truly was an answer to our prayers.  Burgess took the time to research various fundraising sites, set up the page, and to begin to spread the word.  Words can’t express how truly appreciative we are to Burgess and all those who have already donated to help us give Liam the best chance possible to enter this world ready to take on all the challenges life has already thrown at him.

It is hard, and very humbling, to ask for help when you need it, especially financial help.  Believe us, we have been deeply humbled by all the support we have received.  When people would ask us how they can help, our typical response would be “continue to pray”.  Don’t get us wrong; there is great power in prayer and we can use all the divine help we can get.  However, if you feel you would like help us, please visit our fundraising page here:  http://www.youcaring.com/medical-fundraiser/friends-of-liam-camper/76723.  There’s also a donate button at the top of the page.

Again, thanks to all who have supported us so far.  We truly are blessed.  And remember, get excited!