A Birthday Gift for Thomas Gianna - Please Join Us

I would have been almost thirty-six weeks pregnant with Thomas Gianna today. I miss our sweet baby, and wonder so many things about what might have been. The Lord had other plans for our baby and family, in which I place my trust. Even when things don't make sense, the Lord is good. As scripture reminds me, his ways are so high above our ways, and his thoughts above our thoughts. Perhaps one day in heaven we will see the whole picture. Until then, we continue to try to follow the Lord's will for us.

My heart has recently been convicted to make an effort to help a cause which is near and dear to our little family: the National Gianna Center for Women's Health and Fertility. Without the Gianna Center, Michael and I wouldn't have learned the Creighton Model of Natural Family Planning when we were preparing for marriage. Without the Gianna Center, we would not have received the compassionate, gentle, high quality of care we so desperately needed during our miscarriage. I was actually at the Gianna Center when I found out God had blessed us with this new life inside me. In that moment I felt both intense joy and anxiety, and my doctor prayed with me as I wept in her office. The Gianna Center is a unique and extraordinary place.

Recently the Gianna Center kicked off "a campaign to raise funds needed to make pro-life health care available to more women and families in the greater New York metropolitan area, with the ambitious goal of establishing the city’s first prenatal care program dedicated to providing medical support to the region’s crisis pregnancy centers." They would also like to hire an OB so women could receive nine months of prenatal care (the doctor at the Gianna Center is a GYN, not an OB). I am filled with hope as I imagine the gift it would be to countless women to have this kind of care throughout pregnancy. 

Michael and I would like to do our part to help, and we would be honored if you would consider joining us. We are hoping to raise $2,500 for the Gianna Center in honor and memory of our first child, Thomas Gianna. 

There is a donate button at the bottom of this post, which will take you to a PayPal site where you can donate. (You don't need to have a PayPal account to contribute.) All donations we receive, regardless of the final amount, will be given to the National Gianna Center for Women. The button will be open through October 31, 2014, which was our Thomas Gianna's due date. This is our birthday gift to him. 

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for considering donating to this worthy organization. They are a beacon in Catholic health care, not only in NYC, but in the nation. Whether you are able to donate $1 or $1000, we are truly grateful. And, of course, your prayers for the success of their fundraising campaign are a great blessing and gift as well. 

Is there someone you would like to honor with your donation? What a beautiful tribute that would be. Perhaps you'd be willing to share this opportunity with your friends, family or blog readers - please do!
I pray that this coming together to raise money to benefit Catholic women and families will give great glory to God. 

May God bless you & yours abundantly...
Elise & Michael

P.S. Check back for updates on the progress of our gift!

{update 1} If you had trouble donating earlier today, the button should now be working! Thank you!
{update 2} PayPal does charge a fee per transaction, but I found it to be the easiest method for those donating online. However, if you wish to send me a check instead, send an e-mail to inendlesssong {at} gmail {dot} com and I will send you my address. Thanks to the generous reader who thought of this.
{gift update • as of 10.30.14 - only ONE day left to give!}

More information on the Gianna Center:

Affiliated with Saint Peter’s Healthcare System in New Brunswick, NJ, the National Gianna Center for Women’s Health and Fertility™ was founded in 2009 by Catholic physicians and lay persons.  The vision is to create a national network of medical facilities where physicians and nurses provide general gynecological care, prenatal care, natural family planning education, early pregnancy ultrasounds, and infertility services – all with a deep commitment to honoring the dignity of women and the sanctity of human life. The Gianna Center already provides much-needed medical support to crisis pregnancy centers, including providing prenatal ultrasounds.