Here are a handful of ways you can help the Brown's:
- Prayer - most importantly... be praying for them, regularly.
- Practical service - as Ian is now at home during treatment, there are several practical ways to support the Brown family. He will be highly vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infections while neutropenic these next few months, so cooking fresh meals and keeping the house as clean and dust free as possible is vital. There is a link to the meal registry for their family here. Gifting a professional house cleaning is always appreciated. Since every trip to the grocery store also exposes their family to contamination, dropping off fresh fruits and/or veggies is also helpful. If you and your family have been healthy and not exposed to anyone sick for the past two weeks, then you may also contact Christy about childcare support during clinic and chemo days.
- Give blood. To make blood or platelet donations (Ian will need both) at Ian’s hospital, click here for information on where the hospital is, click here for information about how the giving and designation works. If you are the same blood type, you can actually designate donations to him. And if you are not the same blood type, welp… you can care for someone, like him, who needs blood. His blood type is O positive BUT note that platelet donations do not require an exact match. Make sure to tell them you are giving for Ian Brown.
- Register at marrow.org. Ian already has a donor match, but friends are encouraged to enter the registry for the sake of other families who have need of a donor.
- Thoughtful gestures - You can also think of creative ways to care for them: gift cards for restaurants near their hospital, or for gas, iTunes, e-book and movies. Any ways to help them get through this challenging time would be lovely. Please consider letting them know that you do not need a thank you note for your kind gesture.
To send them mail (notes, gift cards, etc):
The Brown Family
203 Storey Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
203 Storey Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Where do you send gift cards, etc.?
ReplyDeleteHi Clay,
DeleteI'll update the page with that info. Meanwhile, You can send them to:
Ian Brown c/o
UCSF Medical Center
11 Long
505 Parnassus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94143
Ian, we haven't had the chance to really get to know each other yet (yet!), but I'd love to visit sometime when I can kick this persistent cough... I have a couple small encouragements to share:
ReplyDeleteThe "great liar" was whispering thoughts to me that I pray you don't entertain, in that "wouldn't we have more important things to do than visit" and having to just sit is "pathetic." Brother, I hope you can see from so many other messages and actions already that YOU ARE IMPORTANT, and the only thing that is pathetic is that it takes something like your journey with Leukemia to renew my desire for quiet times and praying deeply.
I often bike to Caltrain and ride home, but missed the train recently so I biked the 12 miles or so (as I sometimes do, but wasn't planning to), and I committed to pray the whole bike ride home (Lesley said it's not safe to bike with my eyes closed, and I assured her they weren't!), but you and your family was, and is, in my prayers.
Blessings,
Chris Stahl
Ian,
ReplyDeleteYou are not the child of chance or circumstance
Not the product of probability
You already beat every bookie's odds by being born, by breaching every obstacle that ever struck you
Defy dark words
You are not a percentage chance
You are _not_ Fatherless
You are not unguarded though you see only threat
You've been at the brook before and found a stone
You are already unbelievable and yet real
Already named Victorious
When you need to despair, let it rip
When you can laugh Death in the face (or spit), let it rip
You have a King like this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-yZNMWFqvM
Choose we sunshine or rain, we get bruised
Let it be for the Name
Come my brother, let us run together in the face of danger
Is there a paypal account where we can send money to help cover expenses over the next few months?
ReplyDelete