In a blog post a couple of weeks ago I wrote about Alj — his full name is Albert Jefferies. He is still in the hospital, waiting for a new heart. He has been no stranger to hospitals in his short life but this time, the hospital has been his home for the last 78 days. Well, he did get a chance to go back home once but he had to return almost immediately. I’ve stayed in the hospital twice, both times for like two days and both times I hated it. I can not imagine spending almost three months there.
Alj is inspiring. This young man has endured so much: prodding and poking and endless tests … and he continues to do so. Part of his strength, I’m sure, comes from his mother, Tina Turner. I’ve only met her online, but I know my wife met her in person, briefly, before Christmas. Tina beats the drum about Alj’s illness relentlessly, recruiting “angels” as she calls them … all the time trying to add more prayer voices to those she has already recruited. In that brief conversation, my wife was moved by Tina’s passion and her love for Albert, and by her force of will. If the strength of a mother’s love was all Alj needed to be cured, he would be out playing ball with all his friends right now. Both Albert and Tina are tremendous human beings. They are my heroes.
I’m writing this update to let you know about a couple of new things. For one thing, Alj has a new website and he’d love to hear from you.
http://www.teamalj.com/
Just click the contact tab and send him your well-wishes.
Also, he’s made the news! He’s met more reporters in his young life than most of us will ever meet. Why? Because he is an inspiration. The latest story just aired on a local Raleigh North Carolina TV station WRAL. Great story. Please check it out and tell your friends.
http://www.wral.com/teen-awaits-heart-transplant-at-unc-children-s-hospital/15377063/
Their hospital expenses are enormous and there are links on the web page for a gofundme campaign. Every little bit helps. There is also a local fundraiser this weekend in Hillsborough, NC … if you are in the area, you might consider participating. As I said, every little bit helps. You can find information about it on the web page as well.
TeamAlj has a motto, “Keep Pounding” — Take one moment every day and place a hand on your chest and feel the magic of your own beating heart and think about young Albert and silently repeat that motto — “KEEP POUNDING!”
God bless you, Albert and Tina.
Today’s winter storm along the east coast reminded me of a scene I depicted in The Fever … Sam, the hero, is caught driving across most of the state of Texas in a horrible ice/snow storm. One reader told me it was one of her favorite parts and that while she was reading she had to get up and put on a sweater because the description of the cold gave her a chill.
In olden days I processed subscriptions for an academic publisher. Among our many publications, we handled three different political science journals. One day we received a routine renewal for an individual, a woman, living in Southern California. At the time we kept hard copies of all payments, usually photocopies of the check we received (but hey, we’d even photocopy cash if they sent that). If there was a minor problem with a subscription, we might go to their previous payment in our files to completely verify the past and present status of the subscription. I can’t remember the exact problem but it was probably a renewal duplication. We would send out a series of subscription renewal notices, like every six weeks or so. We had apparently already received a renewal from this woman. Duplicates are not that unusual either … somebody is clearing off their messy desk and they find either the duplicate or a copy from another mailing and they forget that they’ve already renewed and send another check. We would routinely extend their subscription. 
I’m happy to be a part of this holiday blog hop … so let’s get to it!
Scratching the Surface 