Julie's Lasik Surprise!
Donation protected
SHHH! This is a surprise; please read on…
I hope this message finds you well. If what I aspire to achieve comes to fruition, I have great confidence that people from all corners of the globe will have some sort of connection with my mother. As you know, Julie is an outstandingly incredible person. And when I say I hope this finds you well, I truly do; with the Jewish New Year just passing, our self-critique of our past year’s decisions upon us, and with the hustle and bustle of everyone’s life – I hope you all are enjoying a continued happy, fulfilled, and healthy life.
For those of you who know me, I am a very open straight-up person – in the sense that if you ask me, I will happily share my story and hear about your own.
Without going into detail due to the nature of this forum, I want to share a little anecdote about myself. Depression has been a recurring challenge for me throughout my life, but I had generally kept it at bay. Unfortunately, near the end of this summer, I entered a very emotional state, and I was unable to keep it at bay any longer – which was quite apparent to my family. My Mom (I honestly feel so lucky to truly be able to call her that, although “Mom 2” is not an uncommon contact entry amongst many of my friends) began a 2 hour car ride to be by my side within minutes of hearing of the challenge I was facing.
Once a better understanding of the situation at hand became clear, my Mom called her employer and requested to take the entire month of September off to be with her son. Knowing her, she didn’t need fear any sort of consequence, based on how much she is loved by her co-workers; and some customers too, believe it or not.
A month of significantly decreased income was so unimportant to her, since her only true care in the world was unconditional love and support for me in my time of need. My Mom is caring, generous, honest, calm and trusted by so many. I’m a strong believer in giving back even more than one receives. My Mom has always (throughout her own personal life path with its challenges) given so much to so many. Sometimes, it’s just a phone call or a text message or its making a 2 hour drive in a hour and a half for someone important to her. Regardless of the gesture, my Mom gives a lot. I think no one deserves more than her to get a little back – but I can’t do it on my own and I have learned that there is no shame in asking for help.
I want to give her something she has dreamt of since I was in a booster seat. With nearly comical poor vision from a young age, she has always needed some form of visual aid to enable her to make it from her bed to her dresser. As life has brought her through the years, she saw continual worsening of her eyesight. Even with a recently evened out eye glass prescription, she has had the opportunity to try every contact lens out there – but eye inflammation persists due to her chronically dry eyes.
She has really faced some tough times, but even during the darkest of days, she was always a guaranteed supporter, no matter who, when or why. Not only has she helped others unconditionally, but she has been far more courageous and strong than many others have achieved. She fought an uphill battle with Breast Cancer more than 10 years ago; battling her way through like the champion she is. Just a short while later, she turned around and did a 2-day walk for Breast Cancer, in which she raised over $10,000 for research. More recently, she struggled with a terribly defiant spinal problem, that would have scared a Spartan to move an inch. Yet, through all this and various other struggles that many of us unfortunately face, she has been a constant for so many people.
Uncles, aunts, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, friends, coworkers, fiancés, husbands, wives, and random one-time encounters – make it possible for me to help someone who means the world to me, and many others. She has always dreamily spoken of Lasik, but always excused herself from it due to her self-appointed commitment to everyone else. My Mom is the true definition of a giver.
Nothing would mean more to my mother than if she were able to clearly see all the lives she has touched. From the information I’ve collected, the cost is approximately $2,500 per eye. Plant a seed and you’ll end with a harvest; if everyone pitches in just a little bit, we have the opportunity to give back to a giver in an extraordinary way. Please, help me make her dream a reality.
There’s really only one catch…Mom cannot know about this. I’m personally not a heavy user of Facebook, but I still needed to block her (whoops, sorry ma!) to get the word out. We ask that everyone please refrain from mentioning it aloud and please do not share it anywhere else on Facebook. The way I am distributing this, she shouldn't be able to see it by any means. Everyone loves a pleasant surprise.
Mom has given so much to me and so many others – my only wish is that we can give back to her in an even greater way.
Thank you, so very much, for taking the time out of your day to read this. It means a lot to me, but it will mean the world to her. Once again, I hope you are all well.
Warmest wishes,
Harrison
p.s. Note the specific goal; I’m hoping that a member of the tribe might be able to help me with חי
I hope this message finds you well. If what I aspire to achieve comes to fruition, I have great confidence that people from all corners of the globe will have some sort of connection with my mother. As you know, Julie is an outstandingly incredible person. And when I say I hope this finds you well, I truly do; with the Jewish New Year just passing, our self-critique of our past year’s decisions upon us, and with the hustle and bustle of everyone’s life – I hope you all are enjoying a continued happy, fulfilled, and healthy life.
For those of you who know me, I am a very open straight-up person – in the sense that if you ask me, I will happily share my story and hear about your own.
Without going into detail due to the nature of this forum, I want to share a little anecdote about myself. Depression has been a recurring challenge for me throughout my life, but I had generally kept it at bay. Unfortunately, near the end of this summer, I entered a very emotional state, and I was unable to keep it at bay any longer – which was quite apparent to my family. My Mom (I honestly feel so lucky to truly be able to call her that, although “Mom 2” is not an uncommon contact entry amongst many of my friends) began a 2 hour car ride to be by my side within minutes of hearing of the challenge I was facing.
Once a better understanding of the situation at hand became clear, my Mom called her employer and requested to take the entire month of September off to be with her son. Knowing her, she didn’t need fear any sort of consequence, based on how much she is loved by her co-workers; and some customers too, believe it or not.
A month of significantly decreased income was so unimportant to her, since her only true care in the world was unconditional love and support for me in my time of need. My Mom is caring, generous, honest, calm and trusted by so many. I’m a strong believer in giving back even more than one receives. My Mom has always (throughout her own personal life path with its challenges) given so much to so many. Sometimes, it’s just a phone call or a text message or its making a 2 hour drive in a hour and a half for someone important to her. Regardless of the gesture, my Mom gives a lot. I think no one deserves more than her to get a little back – but I can’t do it on my own and I have learned that there is no shame in asking for help.
I want to give her something she has dreamt of since I was in a booster seat. With nearly comical poor vision from a young age, she has always needed some form of visual aid to enable her to make it from her bed to her dresser. As life has brought her through the years, she saw continual worsening of her eyesight. Even with a recently evened out eye glass prescription, she has had the opportunity to try every contact lens out there – but eye inflammation persists due to her chronically dry eyes.
She has really faced some tough times, but even during the darkest of days, she was always a guaranteed supporter, no matter who, when or why. Not only has she helped others unconditionally, but she has been far more courageous and strong than many others have achieved. She fought an uphill battle with Breast Cancer more than 10 years ago; battling her way through like the champion she is. Just a short while later, she turned around and did a 2-day walk for Breast Cancer, in which she raised over $10,000 for research. More recently, she struggled with a terribly defiant spinal problem, that would have scared a Spartan to move an inch. Yet, through all this and various other struggles that many of us unfortunately face, she has been a constant for so many people.
Uncles, aunts, grandparents, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, friends, coworkers, fiancés, husbands, wives, and random one-time encounters – make it possible for me to help someone who means the world to me, and many others. She has always dreamily spoken of Lasik, but always excused herself from it due to her self-appointed commitment to everyone else. My Mom is the true definition of a giver.
Nothing would mean more to my mother than if she were able to clearly see all the lives she has touched. From the information I’ve collected, the cost is approximately $2,500 per eye. Plant a seed and you’ll end with a harvest; if everyone pitches in just a little bit, we have the opportunity to give back to a giver in an extraordinary way. Please, help me make her dream a reality.
There’s really only one catch…Mom cannot know about this. I’m personally not a heavy user of Facebook, but I still needed to block her (whoops, sorry ma!) to get the word out. We ask that everyone please refrain from mentioning it aloud and please do not share it anywhere else on Facebook. The way I am distributing this, she shouldn't be able to see it by any means. Everyone loves a pleasant surprise.
Mom has given so much to me and so many others – my only wish is that we can give back to her in an even greater way.
Thank you, so very much, for taking the time out of your day to read this. It means a lot to me, but it will mean the world to her. Once again, I hope you are all well.
Warmest wishes,
Harrison
p.s. Note the specific goal; I’m hoping that a member of the tribe might be able to help me with חי
Organizer
Harrison Ross
Organizer
Boston, MA
