My 7-year-old, Kennedy, came home the other day with a flyer that was promoting a fundraiser for a young, 26 year-old girl: Anna Crum. Seeing that the fundraiser was going towards helping someone with MS, it immediately caught my attention! I began to read the story of this amazing person whose life has been turned upside-down by an aggressive form of Multiple Sclerosis. From long bouts of blindness to severe pain to what is now a rapid decline in her functionality, Anna is in great need of a miracle. She has taken many forms of treatment over the last decade, and nothing is working. This is why Anna has chosen to take a last ditch effort to ward off complete debilitation by pursuing a treatment that is not available in the U.S. She is raising money for an HSCT, a hematopoetic stem cell transplant. Research shows that this procedure yields remarkable results. 87% of MS patients who undergo this treatment have no further disease activity! Through the fundraiser that was hosted for Anna at St Paul, she was able to raise $12,000! This is amazing! However, she still has another $5 0,000 to go.

The second I saw this flyer in Kennedy’s school bag, I called the school and tracked down precious Anna. Within days I was able to meet with her! I can’t tell you how humbling it was to sit across from this young, beautiful woman who has endured so much. Her teenage years and now young adulthood has been unlike what most of us could ever imagine. Yet, she is so strong. She is also brilliant. There is no doubt that God has great things in store for Anna Crum’s life; and there is no doubt that this world needs to benefit from the remarkable gifts and grit that has been fashioned within her. My heart broke as she admitted to me that she has resigned to not even plan to get married or have children. At this rate of decline, she believes she will certainly be a quadriplegic before long.

My response to that, as I’m sure yours is too, was an absolute, “No!” That will NOT be your future. You will experience all the blessings that God has in store for you, and that includes the joy of marriage, motherhood, and carrying out all the dreams that God has placed in your heart.

I asked Anna if she believed that God could heal her. She said that she believes that he is going to heal her through the HSCT treatment. She believes that he is the one who led her to this opportunity. Perhaps this is the means through which God will heal her. But either way, whether through this treatment or through an all-out miracle, God is able and willing to heal Anna. I also told her that I didn’t really have a lot of money, but I do have some shirts. J I told her how I have been selling my “I Am Strong” shirts to pay off medical debt from my own MS diagnosis.

I have decided that I would like to direct the proceeds from my “I Am Strong” shirts to her cause. So, for the next several weeks, any “I Am Strong” shirts sold will go to help Anna get the life-saving treatment she needs. I have also reduced the price of the shirts to $10! I am so grateful to everyone who has supported me by purchasing a shirt. If you haven’t gotten a shirt yet, now you can for a lower price, and for a much greater purpose! I love you, Anna, and believe in you 100%. I know God’s best is in store for you, and I look forward to seeing the miraculous take place in your life!

If you would like to do more, you can make a donation for Anna at: https://helphopelive.org/campaign/9934