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At Mamas for Mamas we know just how true it is that is takes a village to raise a child. Now more than ever, we recognize how important it is to have a strong community to support that village.
We are so proud to work with MODERN PURAIR and the PURKIDS Foundation to fill the gaps in poverty relief support to families in 16 communities across Canada. Every franchise owner contributes 1% of their revenue to Mamas for Mamas, not just because it’s part of their business model but because it’s part of their personal imperative to ensure no child goes to bed hungry and no mama is left behind.
We truly could not do what we do in so many different communities without this generous and life-changing partnership. We thank you for joining the movement to change the landscape of poverty and truly being the change we need to see in this world.
April and Lane Martin from MODERN PURAIR may tuck their capes in so they look like regular humans, but don’t let them fool you. They’re real-life superheroes. Together, they have donated tens of thousands of dollars directly to their neighbours in need. Quietly. Without fanfare. They look at their neighbours not to compete, but to ensure they have enough.
It’s safe to say they care a whole awful lot. Normally with this partnership, we keep every dollar local, community dollars staying within each franchise region. When we began working with sweet Lucy and Kaysen, who both need to raise 3 million dollars for life-saving medical treatment, however, April jumped at the chance to give these babes the support directly this time around. Both families, one in Alberta and one in B.C. will receive $2000 towards their fundraising goal from the PURKIDS Foundation this week! This is ABOVE AND BEYOND the other 4 mamas we have been able to help directly with PURKIDS support in the last month.
This right here is kindness as currency at its best. Charity doesn’t solve poverty, community does.
We contributed $2000.00 each to Life for Lucy and Kaysen’s Quest. Lucy and Kaysen were both diagnosed with a rare illness called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type 1, which is the most severe. It strikes in infancy and it causes muscle weakness and atrophy. If affects a child’s ability to crawl, walk, sit up and control head movements. It also affects their eating and their swallowing. Life expectancy for this disease is less than 2 years. There is no cure. But there is a new life saving gene therapy treatment called Zolgensma. The treatment is not covered by Canadian Healthcare and costs $3 million dollars. With this drug, Lucy and Kaysen would lead completely normal lives. This drug needs to be administered before the age of 2 for it to be successful. Recently, Lucy and her family reached their goal and Lucy will be getting the treatment. Kaysen turned 2 on July 17th but the family has not given up. They continue to fight and raise money in the hopes of being able to give their son a chance at a normal life.
We were contacted by a local mom whose 2-year-old daughter was unexpectedly flow down to B.C. Children’s Hospital after experiencing sudden paralysis. The doctors in Vancouver diagnosed it as Transverse Myelitis which is inflammation of the spinal cord. On arrival at B.C. Children’s Hospital, she was paralyzed from the waist down and was on a ventilator for weeks and was looking at a hospital stay of several months followed by intensive physiotherapy. Luckily, she was able to come off of the ventilator but she is likely wheelchair bound for the next few years. This means that her mom has had to make some big changes and adjustment. Mom traded in her SUV for a van that could be made wheelchair accessible. They would need a new place to live as their current place had too many stairs so they would need to find a one level place with little or no stairs. From the moment she arrived in Vancouver, the whole Mamas team was there to support her. Our Vancouver team made sure she had everything she needed and head office in Kelowna put a package together for her that would hopefully make her stay more comfortable. Once we had a better idea of the prognosis, we helped the mom research and apply for funding that would cover the cost of making a van and home wheelchair accessible. When she traded in her SUV, the monthly payments for the van were more than she could afford so Mamas for Mamas stepped in and is covering a portion of her monthly payments for as long as necessary.
Baby T was born early at 34 weeks via c-section and wasn’t doing well at birth. He was unexpectedly flown down to BC Children’s Hospital and it was not expected that he would survive. Mom and dad were understandably stressed and mom was recovering from a c-section, trying to get her milk to come in and was trying to hold it all together. They were without clothing or any basic necessities. Also adding to the stress was the fact that they had been in the middle of moving and found out that there had been a flood in their new place. Working with our Vancouver team, we were able to make sure they had clothing and anything else they might need while staying in Vancouver. We were able to help cover the costs of travel back and forth, help with the costs of moving and help them stay on top of their rent. They were finally able to relax knowing that everything would work out and that they weren’t alone in this. Baby T was getting stronger and was finally able to go home after 5 weeks in the NICU. Through the generous donations of different stores in Kelowna, we were also able to give their new place a complete makeover complete with a whole new bed, crib and furniture. We continue to offer them support and will do so for as long as it needed.