A Diabetic’s Birthday Gift: In a slight twist on an old story one young man is providing an example to others that giving means more than getting. The beneficiaries of his idea are diabetics and his ability to give rests on the celebration of his birthday.
There is an old story that tells of a young boy who had never experienced the idea of receiving gifts on his birthday. The idea was foreign to him. During wartime his family took in boarders and when one guest learned that it was the boys birthday he offered him a handful of coins. The boy had no idea why the man would give him money. The man simply said, “These are for gifts.”
The boy smiled and ran from the house in the direction of the General Store. That afternoon he asked all the boarders in the home to come to the kitchen. There the little boy presented each with a ‘gift’. He had understood that the money for gifts was to embrace the joy of purchasing a small gift for those who had made an impact on his life.
We may smile at the naïve nature of the boy, yet there is another young man – this time a flesh and bone counterpart that has placed his own spin on this story. Tanner Fincher is only 8 years old and yet he understands giving in a way most of us do not.
According to El Paso’s KVIS-TV, “For two years now, Tanner has asked people to donate money to a camp scholarship fund instead of giving him a birthday present.”
Tanner’s selfless gesture has brought out the generosity in others. So far the young boy has been able to donate more than $1,000 to the scholarship program. Tanner told KVIS, “I got to see different people who have the same thing as me. Some kids can’t afford to go to diabetes camp so I donated some money for them.”
The generosity of young people like Tanner can work to encourage hardened cynics as to the benefits of generosity for a cause.
Meanwhile, Twilight star Kristen Stewart participated in a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes event recently. The even kicked off at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Stewart was quoted as saying, “It’s amazing to be around such inspiring people.”
Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard and actor Dorian Gregory who were also using their star power to provide a platform for diabetes awareness joined Stewart.
The JDRF indicates, “As many as 3 million Americans have type 1 diabetes, a disease most often diagnosed in childhood that strikes suddenly, lasts a lifetime, and carries the constant threat of deadly complications, including heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and amputation. JDRF’s mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Thanks to dramatic research progress, a cure is now within our reach.
”The Walk draws people together in a healthy activity for a worthy cause, raising money to help find a cure for diabetes. It’s fun for families and builds camaraderie among company employees. Above all, it’s an event you will feel good about being a part of.”
And in the end whether it is raising awareness or using birthday money to support diabetic causes we are finding many young people willing to rise to the occasion and answer the call.
