Dear All,

This is Connie writing to you. As most of you may know, this Sunday will be my tenth birthday. I trust that everyone feels that their tenth birthday is a big deal since they’ve turned double digits, and planned huge parties and birthday cakes for the celebration. This was how I felt, and it was a great disappointment for me when I couldn’t invite all of you to a birthday party. And yes, it may not be what I expected, but I realized that people are sacrificing way more for every one of us every single day. At the front lines of the health care department, doctors and nurses at every single hospital in the world are dealing with the Coronavirus patients, giving up what might be their tomorrow for a chance of the patients today. Yes, we’re stuck in our house, not able to go anywhere or even get some fresh air, but at least we are safe. But the health care workers are in the hospital risking their lives every single hour for us to be safe, for the world to be saved from this crisis. Then, there are the patients. They were once no different from me and you, once just like us ordinary citizens of Canada. A bit of bad luck falls on them, and that might be the last thing that happens to them before they die. And yet, we’re not even seeing the most of it yet. If more masks and respirators aren’t bought, if more hospitals aren’t built, then what happened in Italy and China will soon happen here too. “Life is short, so we need to make the most of it. And if you can’t help yourself to what you want, at least you still have the choice to help others.” So that’s why for my birthday, I don’t want to help myself to heaps of presents, I want to help the front line to safety. The Lions Gate Hospital is now open for donations, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. This, is where you come in, my friends. If by reading this letter you think or have already thought for a long time that you choose the same path as me, I’ll be delighted. But if for some reason not, no one will blame you. Don’t worry if you can only muster five cents because if everyone who receives letter does, think about how many masks that makes. Think about how many respirators it can buy. Think about how many lives together your maybe as small as a nickel donation can save. Because it’s time kids helped. No, I’m not expecting anyone to get their doctorate in a week and go join front lines, it’s not possible. But, our donations will be how we show that we can and will choose to help everyone, even though we’re “only children”. When you’re pondering, remember. The money you donate isn’t benefiting me, it’s benefitting you. It’s benefitting the doctors and nurses, and all the coronavirus patients. In other words, it’s benefitting the world. No matter what you decide, I trust that you will have your reasons and I will respect whatever it is. However, if you do choose to donate, down below is a link where you can donate directly to the Lion’s Gate Hospitals. By doing so, you can call yourself a coronavirus hero. I thank you with my heart; whether you donated or not, just for taking a few minutes out of your spring break to read this letter and think. When this crisis is over, I look forward to having a big celebration not just for me but for anyone else who will miss their tenth birthday this year.

Missing you all,
Connie