Giving Back

Today is Friday, Oct. 19. Cooper's surgery was Monday, October 8 and if you've followed along, the surgery went well and his recovery has been remarkable.

As I write this, I am still wearing my "parent" hospital bracelet. I've had quite a few people ask me if Coop is still in the hospital or why I am wearing the bracelet.

My answer is really, really simple. I wear it as a reminder of how lucky and grateful I am as well as a reminder to be thankful and prayerful more often.

I relied on my faith in God throughout our ordeal - Pam and I didn't shy away from making that known. But in reflection since surgery, I became even more thankful to God as I realized that my relationship with Him isn't even a fraction of what I thought it was.

My morning routine is pretty repetitive. Within the first 10 minutes of waking up (within the first minute if Pam is already up with Coop), I am on my iPhone checking my email accounts, Facebook, fantasy football teams and the weather. The first time I get in the car by myself on a road without a lot of stop and go traffic, I turn off the radio and have an audible conversation with God. It usually lasts about 10 minutes.

But that was it. God got 10 minutes of my day (Of course once Coop’s condition was known, God received a little more time throughout the day).

I listen to K-Love radio about 80 percent of the time in the car, and while some may say it's better than alternatives and it does make me feel better, it really isn't spending time with God.

Our family has been through a lot and the hospital bracelet has reminded me to be more prayerful and work on building a better relationship with God.

With the strength, calmness and peace of mind we experienced surgery day, it was evident that everyone's prayers worked. And one of the verses that kept appearing was:

Pray without ceasing - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

DR. GUS

We are also thankful for Dr. Gus. We are indebted to Dr. Gus for, in essence, saving Cooper's life. But how do you repay someone who has done that for you?

Since the night of surgery, Pam and I have been asking around trying to figure out what we could do to show Dr. Gus our appreciation. We were told by the nurses, cardiologists and the attending doctor that Dr. Gus loves WVU, golf, traveling and his grandchildren.

I had another idea. In our research of Dr. Gus, we knew he had a brother who was a veterinarian in his hometown. Why not call his brother to see if he had any ideas?

Pam called the veterinarian’s office Monday and asked for ideas. We were told that a gift was unnecessary. But if we were going to be persistent, Dr. Gus had three organizations close to his heart - WVU Children's Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House at the Children's Hospital and Camp Mountain Heart, a summer camp for kids with congenital heart diseases, cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias.

I'm involved in a non-profit, so I know every little bit counts, but how much could a $250 gift really help?

WHERE GOD AND DR. GUS COME TOGETHER

I mentioned in an earlier post before surgery about my dreams, so I find it a little ironic that I had this idea in a dream (there is also a follow up in another dream, but I'll get to that in a minute).

We felt our $250 gift wouldn't amount to much. But what if we could use it in a way that could raise more money?

On Wednesday night, Pam ordered 1,000 silicone bracelets that say "Pray Without Ceasing + 1 Thessalonians 5:17" (the + is actually a cross on the band). They are red - the color of the American Heart Association and the awareness color of congenital heart disease - with white lettering.

Our thought is to sell them for $3 each or 2 for $5 with the proceeds being donated in Dr. Gus's name to his three beloved charities.

We believe that the bracelets will not only be a reminder that we are called to continuously build and strengthen our relationship with God and Jesus, but they will also help kids and families.
 
HOW CAN YOU HELP?

The obvious answer is to buy a couple.
 
A better solution is to let your network know about them – families, friends, church groups, social media connections, neighbors, co-workers.

They don't say anything about Cooper, so people don't have to feel weird about wearing a bracelet referencing someone they don't know.
 
After ordering them Wednesday night, I had another dream that said we would sell at least 10,000 bracelets. How awesome would it be to raise $20,000+ for these three charities?
 
It’s a tall order, but with God, all things are possible.
 
If you’d like to help out, please let us know. If you think you could sell 10 or 20 or 50, we'd appreciate your hard work.

Feel free to comment through this blog, the Coop Troop Facebook page, mine or Pam’s personal Facebook page or email me at perrycunningham @ yahoo . com (Sorry for the confusion. I did that so my email address couldn’t be easily harvested by automatic programs that comb internet content to create spam lists).

I hope to have a unique Facebook page up and running in the near future too.

 Thanks in advance.

Perry