Groundbreaking 18 Campaign

Hi! My name is Madeleine,

And I've been thinking….

I've been thinking about how a thirteen year old like me can make a difference; even in a big city like Toronto.

So anyway, I needed to start with something that matters to me; I did not need to think about that for too long! You see, my family and I have kind of a special situation going on this month: my older sister Emily is turning 18. Now that is something to celebrate because she has a terminal disease and nobody in their wildest dreams, ever imagined she would live this long…. long enough to become an adult!

A very BIG IDEA started to come into my head and I started to check things out. Then I found out that my idea might work, if I could get other people interested in jumping on board.

The result: my own little campaign called the "Groundbreaking 18 Campaign." This title popped into my head because Emily's birthday is a groundbreaking event… but also because EMILY'S HOUSE is soon going to hold its formal groundbreaking ceremony, so that the construction can begin!!!

My idea is to get as many people as possible to contribute $18 to Emily's House!

And to make this a bit more fun, every day, from February 20th until Emily's birthday on February 25th, there will be a draw. Everybody that contributes to EMILY'S HOUSE from NOW to the 25th of February will have the opportunity to win a prize.

PLUS on Emily's birthday, Friday, February 25th, one of the many donors will be randomly picked to win the GRAND PRIZE!!!

If you want to contribute to EMILY'S HOUSE, in honour of Emily's 18th birthday, and my campaign, there are two ways you can donate: by cheque or an online donation.

You can send a personal cheque (in either Canadian or American currency) to:

PHILIP AZIZ CENTRE – EMILY'S HOUSE
416 Moore Avenue, Suite 101
Toronto, Ontario
CANADA  M4G1C9

Madeleine Yeskoo

WHO IS EMILY?

Emily is one representative of the many terminally ill children and youth who have endeared PAC hearts over a number of years.

For four years now, PAC has been sending volunteers to come alongside her and her family, to help them.

Emily was born in Helsinki, Finland, where her Dad was working at the time, and she lived with her family in many different countries, learning cultures and languages in Europe and Asia, and motivating people with her extraordinary spirit and zest for life.  She adored her older brother, Chris, and her younger sister, Madeleine.  They were very proud of her many athletic and academic accomplishments, and her great capacity to be kind to everyone.  She loved to laugh and sing and dance.  She always dreamed of being an author and an illustrator.

It came as a dreadful shock when she suddenly started to deteriorate, with no warning, during their days of living in Shanghai, China.  She had to be rushed back for tests to North America at age 10 (March 2003), and within 36 hours was diagnosed with a terrible disease called MLD.  It turned out that she was missing an enzyme, which meant that the white matter of her brain had started to disintegrate at a very rapid rate.  Her brain could no longer send dependable messages to the rest of her body.  Very quickly she lost the ability to swallow, speak, eat, walk.  Nobody could believe it.

At the same time, she did not lose her mind, nor the capacity to laugh or cry.  In fact, though it is hard to explain, she has over the years been on a remarkable journey of LIFE and FAITH which has deeply inspired hundreds if not thousands of people around the world.  She is now totally confined to her bed and only goes out when she can travel by ambulance on a stretcher.  Miraculously, she is celebrating her 18th birthday on February 25th, 2011… a milestone which no doctor ever imagined she would reach!