Most of you probably heard of the horrible news that struck in Aurora, CO, when a gunman went into a theater and killed 12 people and wounding 50+ others. One of the critically wounded is a dear friend of mine, Petra Anderson. She is a 22-year-old young woman, with a brilliant, compassionate mind and a wonderful friend. Some of you may remember her from our wedding - she was the talented violinist.
Petra was struck with 4 pellets from a shotgun. Three less serious wounds struck her arm, but she was critically injured when a pellet went through her nose, through her head/brain, and lodged itself in the skull. Initially she was given 2 hours of life...but miraculously she is recovering. They have removed the pellet, and she is talking and moving though in great pain and still has a long road of recovery, though, praise the Lord, it looks promising. As if this was not enough on the Anderson family, her mother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and give 6 months to a maximum of 2 years to live. Both Petra and her Mother have health insurance, but it won't cover Kim's cancer treatment and won't cover all of Petra's medical expenses or potentially the therapy that she needs to continue recovery after being discharged.**
You know me well enough that I don't forward emails, I don't start chain mail, and I usually can't stand fundraisers as they often seem for a worthless cause. But...that time for now has ended. I believe in this one. The Andersons need us, and this is how you can help:
Number one, the Andersons need our prayer. Prayer for Petra and Mrs. Anderson's recovery; prayer for strength for the family; prayer for the surgeons and professionals who aid Petra and Mrs. Anderson; prayer for the funds to come through.
Number two, they need funding. Petra's older sister, Chloe, along with other family and friends are working to start a viral campaign for the Andersons. They need $100,000 to cover Petra's medical expenses. Additionally, they need funding to help Mrs. Anderson try to battle the cancer through alternative medicine due to complications with traditional treatments.
Chloe and company have set up a campaign called
"Ready to Believe: Anderson Relief Fund."They are trying to raise $250,000 in the next 40 days. The first $100,000 for Petra's surgery, medical, and recovery costs. The second $150,000 will be evenly split between Mrs. Anderson's treatment and the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA) through the Aurora Police Department to be used in aid for other victims of this horrible tragedy.
There are many websites that can give additional information:
The Andersons are also trying to get the campaign to go viral through YouTube and Twitter. At Twitter you can use the Hashtag: #ReadytoBelieve starting at 10pm EST on Sunday, July 22, 2012.
And this is where the third thing you can do to help comes in. Number three, they need publicity. This could be spreading the viral campaign, it could be that the news will (hopefully) spread this story wide and far. But it can also simply be by pressing the forward button on this email. Many of us may not be able to contribute financially, but if word is spread then there is a good chance that someone that you know WILL be able to contribute financially.
Please be praying. And please, please, please pass the word. Push the forward button, pray, and keep hoping for the best. In less than 12 hours from the IndieGoGo site's launch, they've already raised $6,000. But there is still much more than is needed. Please pass the word. The Andersons need our help. They are many who are Ready to Believe that Hope is Rising for the Andersons.
**Update 1: Originally this was posted with the sentence that said "According to my knowledge, neither Petra nor her mother have insurance." It was brought to my attention that they DO have insurance, however, it won't cover Kim's cancer treatment and won't cover all of Petra's medical expenses or potentially the therapy that she needs to continue recovery after being discharged.
**Update 2: As of this update at 3:00pm (Pacific time) on July 24th, Petra's fund has raised just over $135,000 -- thanks for everyone who has helped and prayed. Thank you for continuing to pass the word!
