For those of my friends in the United States, Thanksgiving provides a time for us to reflect on what we are thankful for. A recent e-mail from a woman in upstate New York really brought that home for me.

Erin contacted me earlier this week looking for help with her business idea. She has a vision of an organic plush toy line that will be eventually expanded to include bedding products. In talking about what is needed to get her business off the ground, she broke down and revealed to me that they were drowning in debt and couldn’t see how she could finance her start-up. Not an unusual story unfortunately. But it is a little different for her. Her 3-year-old son (the youngest one in the photo) was diagnosed with Leukemia a little less than a year ago. A couple months later, her 8-year-old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Each of those are tough to handle alone, I can’t imagine dealing with both in succession.

She’s come to realize over the past year how precious the time with her three sons is. Erin’s goals for her business is to build something she and her kids can be proud of, but work that will also enable her to be more available for them. Starting a business to take control of your life…does that sound familiar to anyone else?

Those of you who know me, know what my first thought was – “how can I help?” Because I have been burned before – and hundreds of stories of scams float around on the internet – I knew I had to verify that this wasn’t one of them. I asked for copies of the medical bills and Erin quickly complied. She isn’t trying to scam anyone…she is just trying to get on with her life after a series of unfortunate events.

My immediate response to Erin’s story was one of thanks. I am thankful for all of the blessings I have received: I am healthy, my children are healthy and we have a nice home. Truly, we have everything we need. That thought alone compels me to give back in the spirit of thanks.

I am working with Erin to set up an account with a local church so that those of you who feel the need to help like I do have a way to donate to her cause. Please e-mail me if you’re interested in helping and I hope to post the information on how you can help soon!