LJ Tucker, The Little Cookie Monster
Donation protected
Every year we go to feed the homeless on Christmas Day with Our Father's Table in Coweta County and this Christmas was no different. Well, maybe it was a little different. I always help in the serving line but having just had surgery and only being able to use one arm, I knew I would have to have a helper for my position. I was in charge of handing out cookies so I knew finding an assistant wouldn't be hard, I just didn't know what kind of mark this person would leave on my heart.
He was a little 7 year old boy and one of the hardest workers there. He put on his gloves as soon as he walked up and worked very hard at picking out the perfect cookie for every person in line. He made sure those kids and their families had exactly what they wanted. He originally wanted to bake cookies to bring and give out but since the American Cookie Company had donated so many for this day, handing them out to the families became the next best thing.
As a kid, he would sneak one now and then and take a little break but as soon as someone would walk up, he was right back at his job. My son called him "The Little Cookie Monster". He was such a cute little boy and such an attentive, hard worker. I would recommend him as an assistant to anyone. I thought about him all Christmas Day and how this little 7 year old boy came out to make a difference in the lives of others on a day that most kids stay at home and just play with new toys. I just didn't realize how much a difference he was making in the life of mine.
See, I found out that night that this little boy named LJ has cancer. Not the kind that can be removed or chemo will work on, sadly, his is inoperable and the cancer is terminal. He was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma aka DIPG. A very aggressive brain tumor in which there is no cure. Most children are given 2 years to live after the diagnoses. His was April of 2017. But even with all of that going on in his life, he still wanted to bake cookies and come out and serve the homeless on Christmas Day.
With all that he is going through, this 7 year olds first thought was that of helping others. It warmed my heart and the more I thought about him that night, the more I knew that God did not put me there on Christmas Day to feed the homeless. He put me there to meet this little boy. I didn't know how, but I strongly believed I was supposed to help him. And as God still works on giving me direction on what I can do for this boy and his family, I am here to ask you for help too. Mom had to leave her job to stay home and care for her sweet son. With a family of 5 on one income now, the bills are harder to pay and the family has had to leave their home for some place that was less expensive. As a parent, you want to make your children happy and give them the best life you can. With all their money barely paying living expenses, there is rarely any left over to get LJ out to see and do the things that he loves, the movies, McDonalds, soccer...his list of likes was very humbling.
Please reach out and help LJ. Even $5 or $10 can help pay bills, rent and can help get him out to do some of the things that every kid likes to do. And please, the sooner the better. They recently found out the tumor is growing which means he will get to where his energy runs low and he is not able to get around as well. If you can help by donating to the GoFundMe, 100% of the money will go to his family for rent, utilities, groceries, and doing things that revolve around giving LJ a happy life his last few months. Being a parent and making sure all bills are paid is hard enough, I could not imagine caring and worrying constantly for one of my children who has terminal cancer on top of that. Please help ease their stress so they can just enjoy their LJ and help to make LJ's life the happiest they can.
As many of us talk about our resolutions and ideas for the year, LJ's family is trying hard to live each day to the fullest by taking it one day at a time.
Please help make each day be the best it can be for him. Please help with anything you can donate. All of Gods children deserve a lifetime of happiness, no matter how long that lifetime is.
Thank you and God Bless !
He was a little 7 year old boy and one of the hardest workers there. He put on his gloves as soon as he walked up and worked very hard at picking out the perfect cookie for every person in line. He made sure those kids and their families had exactly what they wanted. He originally wanted to bake cookies to bring and give out but since the American Cookie Company had donated so many for this day, handing them out to the families became the next best thing.
As a kid, he would sneak one now and then and take a little break but as soon as someone would walk up, he was right back at his job. My son called him "The Little Cookie Monster". He was such a cute little boy and such an attentive, hard worker. I would recommend him as an assistant to anyone. I thought about him all Christmas Day and how this little 7 year old boy came out to make a difference in the lives of others on a day that most kids stay at home and just play with new toys. I just didn't realize how much a difference he was making in the life of mine.
See, I found out that night that this little boy named LJ has cancer. Not the kind that can be removed or chemo will work on, sadly, his is inoperable and the cancer is terminal. He was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma aka DIPG. A very aggressive brain tumor in which there is no cure. Most children are given 2 years to live after the diagnoses. His was April of 2017. But even with all of that going on in his life, he still wanted to bake cookies and come out and serve the homeless on Christmas Day.
With all that he is going through, this 7 year olds first thought was that of helping others. It warmed my heart and the more I thought about him that night, the more I knew that God did not put me there on Christmas Day to feed the homeless. He put me there to meet this little boy. I didn't know how, but I strongly believed I was supposed to help him. And as God still works on giving me direction on what I can do for this boy and his family, I am here to ask you for help too. Mom had to leave her job to stay home and care for her sweet son. With a family of 5 on one income now, the bills are harder to pay and the family has had to leave their home for some place that was less expensive. As a parent, you want to make your children happy and give them the best life you can. With all their money barely paying living expenses, there is rarely any left over to get LJ out to see and do the things that he loves, the movies, McDonalds, soccer...his list of likes was very humbling.
Please reach out and help LJ. Even $5 or $10 can help pay bills, rent and can help get him out to do some of the things that every kid likes to do. And please, the sooner the better. They recently found out the tumor is growing which means he will get to where his energy runs low and he is not able to get around as well. If you can help by donating to the GoFundMe, 100% of the money will go to his family for rent, utilities, groceries, and doing things that revolve around giving LJ a happy life his last few months. Being a parent and making sure all bills are paid is hard enough, I could not imagine caring and worrying constantly for one of my children who has terminal cancer on top of that. Please help ease their stress so they can just enjoy their LJ and help to make LJ's life the happiest they can.
As many of us talk about our resolutions and ideas for the year, LJ's family is trying hard to live each day to the fullest by taking it one day at a time.
Please help make each day be the best it can be for him. Please help with anything you can donate. All of Gods children deserve a lifetime of happiness, no matter how long that lifetime is.
Thank you and God Bless !
Co-organizers (2)
Jennifer Kirby Sample
Organizer
Sharpsburg, GA
Darlene Hand
Co-organizer