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sugarbritchez
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I know that some of you folks have already read about my son and how he has a generous heart..........for those of you who haven't I wanted to share his story with you and also update you on what he has accomplished.........below is an article from our local newspaper that was done on him and his new found business. Make sure to check out the bottom to see the outcome............
From the Heart
02/20/03
By RENE XXXXXX
Staff Reporter
Alan made $8 the first day he started selling his lucky rocks.
That would have been enough money for the 7-year-old to buy a new basketball, but he wasn't interested in buying a toy.
He wanted to give the money to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
"I just wanted to help out the kids," said the first-grader.
A month ago, Alan, who spends weekends at the Flea Market Mobile with his mother and grandparents at their booth, opened his own booth and began selling lucky rocks to raise money for St. Jude's.
"It was totally his idea," said Angela, the boy's mother. "I don't know why he decided to do this on his own, but I'm proud of him."
She said her son became interested in helping the children after someone came to his school and talked about the kids at St. Jude's. The school then raised money for St. Jude's through a math-a-thon, but Alan didn't want to stop there.
Alan started his own fund-raising campaign by picking up rocks in the flea market parking lot and selling them for 50 cents.
The next weekend, he showed up with hand-painted rocks to sell.
"I use some hair and eyes and wet paint and paint the mouth," Alan said. "I make it look like a face.
"I paint cats on them, too."
In four weeks he has collected $130.
When Jessica Wickel heard about Alan's lucky rocks she wanted him to meet her 6-year-old son, Jacob.
Jacob was diagnosed four years ago with retinoblastoma, a common type of eye cancer in children. He eventually lost his eyesight.
"Alan just took to Jacob and let him feel all of the rocks," said Wickel of the pair's first meeting this past weekend.
Jacob said he liked feeling the hair on the rocks.
"It felt good," said the soft-spoken, bashful Jacob, who understands why Alan is selling the rocks. "The money is going to help the sick kids."
Wickel said when her mother told her what Alan was doing, she was overwhelmed.
"You don't find very many 7-year-olds who would do something like that," said Jacob's mother. "He's not really old enough to understand what they go through, and for him to want to give to St. Jude's is unbelievable."
She was so impressed that she left the flea market with two of Alan's hand-painted rocks.
"They were unique because that was his idea and it came from the heart," Wickel said.
Four years ago, when area doctors told Wickel they didn't have the facilities here to treat her son, she turned to St. Jude's.
Within days, she was on her way to Memphis.
Doctors at St. Jude's said they would try everything they could to save Jacob's eyes.
After almost five months of chemotherapy and weeks of radiation, the news wasn't good.
"His cancer was too bad," Wickel recalled. "There was nothing that would kill it."
Before Jacob's third birthday, doctors performed surgery to remove his right eye.
Hoping to be able to save his left eye, doctors did laser treatments, but his eye began to hemorrhage.
"They called me and said they didn't know if it had spread and gone to his brain," Wickel said.
"As a mom, I had to make a difficult decision," said an emotional Wickel. "Knowing the things he would never be able to do and knowing that he would never be able to see my face again."
At the age of 4, Jacob had surgery to remove his other eye.
"He doesn't think he's blind," Wickel said. "He was so used to seeing and remembers everything."
She said her son has been cancer-free for two years.
"I thank God above that he's here and healthy," Wickel said. "I'd rather have him be here and blind than not here at all."
She's also grateful for people like Alan who care enough to help.
"He is so special to my heart," Wickel said. "I wish there were more kids like him."
Raymond Zoghby, chairman of the St. Jude On the Bay Weekend fund-raiser held in the fall, said Jacob is just one of 43 kids in the MobilBaldwin area who are being treated at St. Jude's.
He said area residents have been very supportive of St. Jude's.
"It never ceases to amaze me how many of our local Mobile people hold St. Jude's and the work it does so close to their hearts," said Zoghby, who is also on the hospital's board of directors.
"He (Alan) not only is helping a child less fortunate than him, he has the attitude that any mother would be proud of, to learn to give."
Well Alan turned in a cashiers check this past Thursday to St. Jude through our local radio station's Radio-Thon in the amount of $1050.00 which he raised in less than 3 months.
~~~claps hands with tears rolling down her cheeks~~~
I am so proud!!!!
From the Heart
02/20/03
By RENE XXXXXX
Staff Reporter
Alan made $8 the first day he started selling his lucky rocks.
That would have been enough money for the 7-year-old to buy a new basketball, but he wasn't interested in buying a toy.
He wanted to give the money to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
"I just wanted to help out the kids," said the first-grader.
A month ago, Alan, who spends weekends at the Flea Market Mobile with his mother and grandparents at their booth, opened his own booth and began selling lucky rocks to raise money for St. Jude's.
"It was totally his idea," said Angela, the boy's mother. "I don't know why he decided to do this on his own, but I'm proud of him."
She said her son became interested in helping the children after someone came to his school and talked about the kids at St. Jude's. The school then raised money for St. Jude's through a math-a-thon, but Alan didn't want to stop there.
Alan started his own fund-raising campaign by picking up rocks in the flea market parking lot and selling them for 50 cents.
The next weekend, he showed up with hand-painted rocks to sell.
"I use some hair and eyes and wet paint and paint the mouth," Alan said. "I make it look like a face.
"I paint cats on them, too."
In four weeks he has collected $130.
When Jessica Wickel heard about Alan's lucky rocks she wanted him to meet her 6-year-old son, Jacob.
Jacob was diagnosed four years ago with retinoblastoma, a common type of eye cancer in children. He eventually lost his eyesight.
"Alan just took to Jacob and let him feel all of the rocks," said Wickel of the pair's first meeting this past weekend.
Jacob said he liked feeling the hair on the rocks.
"It felt good," said the soft-spoken, bashful Jacob, who understands why Alan is selling the rocks. "The money is going to help the sick kids."
Wickel said when her mother told her what Alan was doing, she was overwhelmed.
"You don't find very many 7-year-olds who would do something like that," said Jacob's mother. "He's not really old enough to understand what they go through, and for him to want to give to St. Jude's is unbelievable."
She was so impressed that she left the flea market with two of Alan's hand-painted rocks.
"They were unique because that was his idea and it came from the heart," Wickel said.
Four years ago, when area doctors told Wickel they didn't have the facilities here to treat her son, she turned to St. Jude's.
Within days, she was on her way to Memphis.
Doctors at St. Jude's said they would try everything they could to save Jacob's eyes.
After almost five months of chemotherapy and weeks of radiation, the news wasn't good.
"His cancer was too bad," Wickel recalled. "There was nothing that would kill it."
Before Jacob's third birthday, doctors performed surgery to remove his right eye.
Hoping to be able to save his left eye, doctors did laser treatments, but his eye began to hemorrhage.
"They called me and said they didn't know if it had spread and gone to his brain," Wickel said.
"As a mom, I had to make a difficult decision," said an emotional Wickel. "Knowing the things he would never be able to do and knowing that he would never be able to see my face again."
At the age of 4, Jacob had surgery to remove his other eye.
"He doesn't think he's blind," Wickel said. "He was so used to seeing and remembers everything."
She said her son has been cancer-free for two years.
"I thank God above that he's here and healthy," Wickel said. "I'd rather have him be here and blind than not here at all."
She's also grateful for people like Alan who care enough to help.
"He is so special to my heart," Wickel said. "I wish there were more kids like him."
Raymond Zoghby, chairman of the St. Jude On the Bay Weekend fund-raiser held in the fall, said Jacob is just one of 43 kids in the MobilBaldwin area who are being treated at St. Jude's.
He said area residents have been very supportive of St. Jude's.
"It never ceases to amaze me how many of our local Mobile people hold St. Jude's and the work it does so close to their hearts," said Zoghby, who is also on the hospital's board of directors.
"He (Alan) not only is helping a child less fortunate than him, he has the attitude that any mother would be proud of, to learn to give."
Well Alan turned in a cashiers check this past Thursday to St. Jude through our local radio station's Radio-Thon in the amount of $1050.00 which he raised in less than 3 months.
~~~claps hands with tears rolling down her cheeks~~~
I am so proud!!!!
I'm sure he made many, many people happy! these lucky rocks sound better then pet rocks!