Day 7

You know, this project isn't really about giving money. It's about doing nice things for people. I realize that my first week has involved a lot of donations, and I promise you I'll be getting out and doing stuff more as this project goes on, if for no other reason than my bank account has limits.

But today, this is about a donation. This is definitely about money. This is a good example of why I do this project every year. And today I'm going to ask you for a favor: Please read this all the way through. If you can spare anything, please chip in. If you can't, please consider sharing the link.  

This is a chance for you to do a random act of kindness with a real, immediate and direct impact.

This is not some faceless cause or bureaucratic charity. This is about the sister of a friend of mine -- a real person. This is about a mother of four who is the fight of her life against lung cancer. My family knows firsthand how hard that battle can be, so this is very close to my heart.

Patti Coyne has four children: a 2-year-old baby girl, a daughter in 10th grade, a new college freshman (the first in her immediate family to attend college), and a 19-year-old marine son about to deploy in December.

In August, Patti was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, which if you know anything about cancer, is not good news. The cancer has now spread to her liver. According to her sister:

She is a teacher assistant with no insurance and no income; she has been told by doctors she cannot work because germs at school are deadly to her while on chemo. She is in a desperate financial situation just to pay rent and buy food. So many wonderful people have reached out to our family asking what they can do to help. After thinking about that carefully, one thing we thought of that would help her tremendously would be a fund to cover her rent and food expenses during her treatment. Many of my amazing neighbors have already joined together and paid her October rent, which was an overwhelming relief to her. We cannot express the depths of our gratitude. If anyone else wishes to make a contribution to help Patti and her children, you can do it here.

Anything you contribute will go directly to helping this family.