Finding Relief

I am participating in a sponsored campaign hosted by Advil®, as a part of the Advil® Relief in Action campaign. I received compensation for this post. While all opinions stated are my own, I make no claims about Advil® as a product or its effectiveness.

I think one of the greatest opportunities we have in life is to do something to change the life of another human being.  It's the feeling of doing something really good...something worthwhile.  It's not even about the feeling you get from knowing you did something nice, but rather the feeling of making someone else happy.  It's like that old adage "giving is better than receiving." 

When Lucy was diagnosed with cancer, it honestly felt as if the world rallied around us.  The support and overwhelming show of love was indescribable.  The monetary gifts, the prayers, the dinners and the phone calls were honestly the things that got us through the most devastating situation of our lives.  We knew when Lucy got better and our lives began to resemble "normal" again we would have a huge debt to repay.  

Funny thing is, it never seemed like a debt or obligation.  Finding a way to pay forward what was done for our family was a natural progression that just occurred.  Our friends had established a 5K race in Lucy's honor and we had the chance to join in that effort to raise money for LeBonheur Children's Hospital.  Our love for the hospital continued to grow and so did our desire to raise money.  

Through the Go Lucy Go Foundation (a 501(c)3) countless volunteers work throughout the year to raise money for our amazing Children's Hospital as well as the families of children who are facing life threatening diagnoses of brain tumors.  From our personal experience, we know how much a hot meal, food pantry or monetary grant can mean to a family who is spending days upon weeks in a small hospital room with no family there to help.

Feeding the NeuroScience floor at Christmas.

Families are being nurtured and fed, nurses are being educated and individuals around the country are all learning what it means to have a volunteer spirit.  All because of one little girl and our family's desire to see her struggles to survive inspire another child to do the same.  We take no personal credit for anything we have done, but rather see every opportunity we are given as another chance to make a difference in someone else's life.

But honestly, sometimes pain can get in the way.  Sometimes the pain is heartache and only time can heal that wound.  But other times, like in the 7th inning stretch of 5K preparations, physical pain begins to take its toll on our bodies.  That's why the Advil® Relief in Action campaign honors and supports people who don’t let pain get in the way of helping others. Through partnerships with Habitat for Humanity® International and Wounded Warrior Project®, Advil® is recognizing volunteers’ hard work and relieving the tough pain that comes with giving back.

If you want to know more about this awesome program, please read about it here.

You can also

- Follow @Reliefinaction on Twitter and Instagram,
- Show Advil® how you see Relief in Action by posting a photo on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ReliefinAction.

No matter what it is that you do to help others,  just keep up the good work!