About
Adrienne Roads, a Coeur d'Alene High senior is preparing to graduate. For many, this is a normal part of life. For Adrienne, it is a miracle!
Adrienne has been battling chronic pain and illnesses since the age of 3. "I’ve always had a big heart for people with disabilities and sicknesses,” she said. “I never thought that I was going to be one of them."
It's would be easy for her to complain. Her life has been peppered with health issues, hospital visits, and trips to the ER. Yet through it all, she is preparing to graduate from High School with a 3.5 GPA. She has worked hard to maintain her grades throughout her teenage years, but has remained focused on her studies, and on helping others… especially children… who suffer from chronic pain as she does.
This school year alone, she has had four hospital admissions, two ambulance rides, 17 ER visits, one surgery, four nasal feeding tube placements, four anaphylactic episodes requiring epinephrine, a two-week out-of-state medical trip and countless medical procedures, tests, IVs, infusions and doctor visits.
“I lost my ability to walk,” she said. “I’ve gone through all this stuff and also trying to come to school as much as I possibly can because I want to graduate. It’s really, really important to me because I don't want my illness to steal that from me as well."
"Basically I have an overgrowth of a certain type of white blood cells in my body," she said. "It’s similar to cancer. It’s not cancer, but it can be fatal."
But she chooses not to complain, and instead she survives her most difficult days by working to bring joy and hope to others.
Adrienne has been creating “Kindness Crates,” — thoughtful care packages for 'tweens and teens also going through life-altering disabilities and illnesses.
"I really want to bring some comfort and happiness to kids going through hard things," she explains. “I want them to know that they’re not alone in their sickness."
“Kindness Crates” are filled with items that can comfort or entertain youths who spend long stretches in waiting rooms and hospital beds, things like heating pads, tissues, journals, socks, coloring books and small pillows.
"I want to help kids that have chronic illness too because there's a lot of really scary things that we have to go through while we’re trying to do high school and all that."
However, Adrienne needs a hospital bed that will adjust to relieve her nearly constant pain. “I have a lot of chronic pain and don't sleep very well," Roads said. "I love the feeling of hospital beds; it helps me sleep."
We are working to find this amazing girl a comfy adjustable hospital bed! Your help will bring her needed rest and recovery as she continues to help others and she battles her own illness.
Credit-
by DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer | May 20, 2021 1:08 AM
Adrienne is documenting her health journey on her Instagram account, https://www.instagram.com/adri_faith/
Her story was covered in depth in the CDA Press... https://cdapress.com/news/2021/may/20/kindness-crates/
I must add, that I have known the Roads family for over 20 years.
Thought it may be worth mentioning. Craig-