White Dog
and The White Dog Army
Wonderful World
Wednesday
White Dog
and our Army believe that there is no stronger power on the planet than people
reaching out to others one hand or paw at a time. And we hold dearest in our hearts the concept
of “paying it forward.” Joined together
and sharing we CAN change the world and solve every problem…this we believe
with our whole hearts.
There are so
many in our Blog family who share this same vision and mission and it is in
special tribute to our Angel Quinn and the Five Sibes pack that we have chosen
tonight’s Wonderful World story. Their tireless work to raise awareness of
canine epilepsy which bridges over in so many ways to the research being done
in the human realm inspires us to continue our mission to advance comparative
studies research in the catastrophic diseases that touch both two- and
four-leggeds…like epilepsy and cancer.
We ask you
to help spread the word by paying it forward. Honor Alyssa and the Five Sibes
and leave a pawprint in the fight to raise awareness…and do your part to rid
the world of this disease, which would certainly go a VERY long way to making
it more wonderful!
By Good News Network Monday,
September 23, 2013
Just three
weeks ago, an 18-year-old girl in Erie, Pennsylvania named Alyssa Josephine
O'Neill wanted to go to Starbucks with her mom but she suddenly died from an
epileptic seizure.
Alyssa never
got to taste her first pumpkin spice latte but, after the deadly seizure, her
parents decided to buy 40 of the sweet, warm drinks for strangers, paying it
forward in loving memory -- with her initials scribbled on the cup, #AJO.
As a result,
some Starbucks employees joined in and a campaign was born. Using the same
hashtag #AJO, people from as far away as Korea, Iceland and India are buying
coffees for strangers, writing #AJO in loving memory.
The bigger
point of the campaign is to raise awareness for epilepsy, which kills 50,000
people every year in the US. Alyssa had been diagnosed with the disease one
year ago.
"There
are not many other diseases where you can just be walking down the street, fall
over... and possibly die," her father told WSEE News. "That's the
worry we dealt with every day."
Billboards
designed with #AJO #Paying it forward #Epilepsy awareness are being erected in
several states, always colored purple as a symbol of the epilepsy research.
22,000
people have engaged on a Facebook page where photos of coffee cups and signs
are shared.
Thousands of
photos have been tagged with #AJO on Instagram. Her parents have been amazed at
the outpouring of love and enthusiasm -- all stemming from buying a few pumpkin
spice lattes for strangers, in their daughter's name. New fundraisers are
planned in their hometown to raise money for research.
Watch the video here:
http://www.erietvnews.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9307382
5 comments:
That is an amazing story, thanks for sharing it with us.
The five sibes' Mommy is putting together a book to raise money for research. Our big angel sissy will be a tiny part of it. That is a good way to let people know about epilepsy.
That really is some incredible story...my heart breaks for Alyssa's family. But what a loving tribute to her. Thank you also, for mentioning us in our post. I so agree that if we keep K-9 Epilepsy Awareness going out there and helping to educate and inform folks, it may be the key to unlocking this mystery disorder in the future. Plus, it's so important to tell the stories of warrior Epi-dogs such as Quinn, Gibson, and Sally Ann & Andy's furangel sister. The work you are doing is so important and commendable in getting the word out and sharing to help others. If we can save one dog...or help one person understand seizure disorders...then that is a great thing. And there is indeed so many ways Epilepsy crosses over between the canine and human worlds, and we can learn so much from each other and then pay it forward also to help others learn so they in turn can also share with others. :-) Here's to #AJO...every time I have a pumpkin coffee, I will always think of her story. May she be smiling in Heaven at the wonderful thing her parents are doing in her name.
An amazing story and a reminder to live and enjoy or see the good in every day. Our first Sibe, King,had epilepsy and it took him at a young age. So many of the same diseases affect cross species. Thank you for sharing the pumpkin latte story.
what a fabulous story and how easy to do it. We will be paying it forward in the same way asap. Thanks for sharing. Hugs GJ x
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