In 2003 I joined a pregnancy message board. We were all due in June of 2004. Believe it or not, the group is still together (we are in a private group on facebook now). These ladies helped me survive pregnancy and the early years of raising a toddler and a baby and I am forever grateful that I am able to be a part of such an amazing group of women.
One of the women I met in the group I became very good friends with. Jay lives a few hours away so I don’t see her very often but out of everyone in that group, I’d say I’m by far the closest with her.
Us in 2005 – we look like babies ourselves!
Here we are in 2008.
Jay has an adorable son who is my daughter’s age (hence the message board reference above). His name is Max and he will be 9 on July 1st.
Max and my Kinsey in 2004
Max was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. Max suffers from a form of aggressive brain cancer called Glioblastoma Multiforme. He had surgery to remove the tumors last year, and rounds of medication and radiation to help stop the growth. Things were looking promising for a few months.
Max a few days ago – April 2013
However, the tumors have returned and have spread at an alarming rate. His final wish was to travel to Paris, but the doctor’s say he is deteriorating at such a fast rate that he is not stable enough to travel.
Kinsey and Max in 2005
This is something no family wants to face, the slippery slope, and the reality that their child may not be here in the physical form soon.
Give Max The World was created to keep Max’s dream alive of seeing the world!
Please help us shower Max with love and happiness by sending him a postcard from where you live or are vacationing.
By the time his 9th birthday comes around on July 1st, he not only will have touched the heart and lives of many ALL AROUND THE WORLD, but ALSO have a little glimpse of the world himself.
Max and Kinsey in 2008
We HAVE to move FAST! Please do not hesitate if you want to be part of this, go out get a postcard, tourist type item or any item that shows where you are from and send it TODAY! The sooner the better as he is now starting to lose eyesight in one eye.
AND as a side note, Max has a little sister Katie who is 6 years old. Please keep her in mind if you would like to send her an item as well.
All our kids in 2008. L to R: Kinsey, Travis, Max, Katie
VERY IMPORTANT – Please keep the cards upbeat and fun, lighthearted! Keep the theme to a BIRTHDAY celebration, and sharing the world with an incredible boy!
Please send any cards and mail here:
Jedi Max
P.O. Box 690309
Killeen, TX 76549
To keep up with Max’s journey you can visit Jedi Max
Here is his Give Forward page.
Jay and I with our Junebug babies the first time we met in real life – 2004
Thanks for sharing this. I have a very similar group of women that I still keep in touch with via an FB group as well. For us, planning our weddings brought us together. Yours didn’t originate on CL by any chance, did it? I’ll share this post with my friends!
Thanks for sharing! I will make sure to send him a postcard. My first child is a June 2004 baby too.
I will keep them in my prayers. I know someone, that knows someone in London, and hopefully they will send a card. Alison, I am sending you an email with a suggestion regarding Paris, please read it. (didn’t want to post it on here.)
Postcard sent from the Bledsoe’s. And since you are my cousin, please pass a hug to that sweet lil guy for us. Luvya
What a sweet and wonderful story and thank you so much for posting about it. I grabbed a postcard we have from the International Spy Museum (here in DC) and it will be in the mail to Max tomorrow! I’ll be keeping him and his family in my thoughts and prayers.
-Mel the Crafty Scientist
Oh my! I’ll be sending a little so,etching from our home in the Bahamas very soon. Best wishes to Jedi Max!
Prayers for that sweet little guy, your friend, and all of those who love him.
I can send one from Portugal next week!
I’ll be praying for this amazing little boy <3
Friends of ours recently lost their 16 year old son to a similar condition, it's so tough and I'm so sorry!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing! Our family will have something good picked out for the Jedi this weekend.
What a true Jedi Warrior he is! Prayers are heading his way for him, his family and his friends. We will send one from our home town and we are leaving at the end of the month for our wedding so we will be sure to send him one from New Hampshire! Sharing in my blogging FB groups!
I traveled to Europe when I was 18 and got to see London, Paris and a few other places in between. I have a ton of postcards from my trip there as well as a bunch of keychains that I’ll be shipping his way this weekend. I even have an extra mini Eiffel Tower (about 3 inches tall) that I can include.
This breaks my heart that he and his family are going through this but I think that this request for momentos from all over is genius! I hope he enjoys them and it makes his days more tolerable.
Oh Allison, I am just heartbroken for your friend. I shared your post with my friends on a forum that I am a part of that has members from all over the world, so hopefully he will see some postcards from places he’s never even heard of very soon 🙂 I will also add him and his family to my prayers.
Allison, hope it’s OK that I lifted some of the text about the JediMax postcard campaign from your post (none of your family photos or info, of course) and broadcast this to friends who might be travelling or in remote locations. (I noticed that Max has his own webspace and that he probably likes to receive visitor posts. For folks who can’t send a postcard, maybe that would work?) My best to you and to Max’s family.
Phyl
Oh Allison, this hurts my heart.
I live in Malaysia, so when I go pick up my boy from preschool today, I’ll get Max a postcard, and get it mailed out ASAP (and I’ll look for something for his little sister too).
Thank you for sharing his story, and your heart.
I saw Leigh Ann post a link to your site- I am an expat in Europe and spreading the message with the other expats as best I can. I hope we can get a few sent his way- at the very least a few from me & mine 🙂
I will be sending mine from Paris, as soon as I absolutely can. (Visiting from Leigh Ann).
My daughter just turned nine in April.
Hi! I just saw your post about Max. It breaks my heart that cancer has touched the life of a sweet child. I copied some of the text as well and sent it out to my group http://www.GiveASmileToday.com. I hope we can bring a smile to his face! Let me know if there’s anything else we can do.
Stacie
xo
By chance are you from the ivillage June 2004 message board? I came across this post from a friend and I, too, have a June 2004 baby and was a member at the time. I’m praying for little Max.
Prayers sent. I just joined his Facebook event. Can’t wait to gather some goodies from Florida =)
Our Grace Girls (a group for tween and teen girls my daughter has been a part of for a few years) are sending Jedi Max a bunch of post cards and happy birthday wishes from sunny southern California! We aren’t ONLY about Disneyland! I hope he loves the pictures!
I have had the pleasure of meeting Max and his family. Max is truly the smartest, sweetest kid I have meet in a very long time. He truly wears his heart on his sleeve, but that’s what makes him even more adorable to me. Every day since his passing I google his name and see how the world has honored this little guy and what mark he has left on the world. Max you are truly a blessing to all and it was a pleasure to have shared time with you. Love you Simmons family!!!!