“Sticks and stones may break my bones
But words will never hurt me”
Despite the fact that most of us grew up reciting this old adage, by the time we’re adults we’ve accepted that words can have harmful consequences. Thankfully, they can also have positive ones.
Xavier Logan was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when he was six months old.
He also lives with diabetes and cirrhosis. According to his mother, Brooke Nicole Stewart, seeing her son get singled out for having a coughing fit or some other complication has been difficult. For Xavier, the hard part has been dealing with the loneliness that comes with cold and flu season.
Because CF causes persistent lung infections, Xavier needs to limit his exposure during the winter months. That means being home-schooled and being away from his peers.
Last year, Xavier was so miserable being isolated that his mother knew something needed to be done. So this year, she reached out to WTHR in Indianapolis. The station ran a story encouraging people to send Christmas cards.
Well, according to the Kokomo Tribune, Xavier has received 4,197 Christmas cards (as of January 4, 2016). The cards have come from 46 states and more than a dozen countries.
“It meant a lot,” Xavier said, but that doesn’t mean he’s keeping it all to himself. He’s sent some of the cards and gifts he’s received on to Riley Hospital’s child life ward.
According to his mother, “He wanted to share the outpouring with his fellow cystic fibrosis fighters.”
So what does he do with the ones he keeps?
“He’ll pull some out and go through them again, because he got them all so quickly. He’ll pick up a few and take them into his room. Some of them are four-page letters, and some of the things they say, you can’t help but cry.”
Yep, words really do have power.
PatientWorthy is teaming up with CysticLife.org to spread awareness of CF and support their collaboration with the Mayo Clinic for a community-driven research project investigating the benefits of exercise for CF patients. If you’re interested in contributing to the fund or want to become a CysticLife member, drop by CysticLife.org or donate here today! Don’t forget to share this post!
