Random Acts of Christmas Kindness: Day 8

Hello sweet readers! Today is day 8 of my “Random Acts of Christmas Kindness” and I have an extra special story behind today’s act. This morning I sent an awesome Star Wars puzzle to my special friend Aiden. I decorated the box with Christmas drawings and attached a little note. This is no ordinary puzzle though; it’s a Darth Vadar/Luke Skywalker transforming puzzle. How cool is that? Especially for a 9 year old boy. I figure a special kid needs a special puzzle. What makes Aiden so special? Here’s a little bit of his story:

The journey started out with a little 8 month old needing a liver transplant, and now it is about a little boy enjoying the second chance he was given on the day he was transplanted. With prayers, wonderful doctors, and hope for the future, we will get through the difficult days and celebrate the wonderful ones.
Meet Aiden. He is an incredible and courageous 9 year old. When Aiden was just an infant, he was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, which is a rare liver disease in which about 250 children are diagnosed each year in the US. He then underwent a Kasai procedure, which is an operation to create an open duct so that bile can brain from the liver. In this surgery, the durgeon removes the damaged ducts outside the liver and replaces them with a piece of the baby's own intestine. The new duct allows bile to pass from the liver into the intestine. It only has about a 33% chance of success to last longer than 5 tears. However, 8 years later, Aiden is beating the odds. Aiden's story is one of survival, hope, and courage. At the age of 9, he is one of the happiest children you will find. Yet he continues to struggle. He has a condition called Dysautonomia and often lands in the hospital. Luckily, Aiden has amazing support from his sweet younger brother and his caring and wonderful parents.

It seems silly to try to sum up sweet Aiden's life in a short paragraph. He has had a life full of ups and downs and is honestly one of the bravest people I know. If you want to learn more about Aiden's story, you can go to his Caringbridge site or the Crowdrise site I've created for Team Aiden. Personally, I would recommend starting by going back and reading his journal entries on his Caringbridge site. It's like the most amazing and inspiring book you'll ever read!