For most people, figuring out what to do with all of those Season’s Greetings cards can be a bit of a problem, but for six-year-old Addie, the thousands of letters that have been stuffing her mailbox in Salt Lake City, Utah this month are truly a Christmas blessing.
Addie is suffering from an undiagnosed illness which has halted her growth and which doctors predict will soon take her young life. Weighing less than 25 pounds, Addie finds it difficult to do the simplest of tasks, like walking and sleeping, and because her illness causes behavioral problems, she isn’t allowed to play with other kids her own age.
Hoping to provide a bit of Christmas cheer for her granddaughter, Addie’s grandmother Maree Jensen decided to take to social media to find the young girl some friends for the holidays. “Grandma just wanted to be able to tell Addie she has a lot of friends,” said Addie’s mother, Tami Fausett. “My mom wanted Addie to think she was really loved.”
Well, it worked. After recieveing a handful of cards the week before Thanksgiving, a local news station spotted the family’s Facebook post requesting cards be sent to the young girl. After running a story on the air, Addie’s family had a problem, one they didn’t mind dealing with. Forget a few dozen cards, the family was now being sent thousands.
Addie’s been receiving about 1,200 cards daily, and they come from all over the world–Germany, Saudi Arabia, even Australia. Each card is addressed to Addie herself and carries messages of love, hope and wishes for a happy holiday for the brave little girl. “I had no idea asking for a card would spread so fast. It means a lot that so many people care that much,” Fausett said. “A card doesn’t seem like a lot, but to Addie it is so much. It is amazing.”
Read more at Huffington Post.
