Superhero Autographs, Anyone?

Forget The Avengers, support a REAL LIFE Superhero!  (See very bottom of this post for info on how you can support this amazing young hero.)

 

Y’all have read about our precious friend, Rowan, and his mom, Carrie, here on our multiple times (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE).  Well, we’re rejoicing that Rowan’s now a TV Star, in addition to being a Superhero (Iron Man), and a REAL LIFE hero!!!  Before I show you the TV clip, I first want to share photos from Rowan’s blog from May 19, 2012, the two-year anniversary of the day Chrissie went to heaven.  Rowan came to our home to visit Chrissie’s grave (and give us yummy, customized “Chrissie” cookies), and here are the photos from Rowan’s blog:

 

Saturday, May 19, 2012

"Faith makes things possible...it does not make them easy."

Today marks the second anniversary of Rowan's special little friend, Chrissie going to heaven. Rowan and I went out to her gravesite this morning to take flowers. He also painted her a picture of butterflies and flowers and made them "all rainbowy, just like she likes them", he said. Here are some of the precious photos I took this morning:

At one point Rowan asked me to read the large stone at the foot of her grave to him again. When I read, "Faith makes things possible, it does not make them easy." He said quietly, "Got that right. This part is not easy-just seeing her grave and not her, but I know it is possible for me to see her in heaven again someday." Amen!

(written by Carrie, Rowan’s mom, and posted on her blog)

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And now, here is the INCREDIBLE story of our REAL LIFE hero and precious friend, Rowan:

Click HERE for video and news source.

Written by Marvin Hurst:

 

SAN ANTONIO -- Life threatening challenges are ridiculously normal for Rowan Windham. Ever since he was born, he's been fighting to stay alive. He has a rare incurable disorder called Shwachmann-Diamond syndrome.

 

"Basically, it affects your pancreas, your blood, and your bone marrow, " says his mother Carrie.

 

The condition also means his immune system is frequently compromised. So, Rowan gets sick very easily. At just five years old, he has been in the hospital more than 700 days of young life. The New Braunfels kid has had everything from brain surgeries to blood transfusions for sepsis.

 

Rowan takes 26 different medications daily. His body is rigged with special tubing to feed him special nutrients around the clock. Rowan's diet is so restricted all he, generally, eats are potatoes. He can't enjoy simple childhood indulgences like ice cream and cheeseburgers. On his birthday, he can't even have cake.

 

"It rocks your world," says his father, Brian. "It's quite the shock to know that your child is going to have so many health issues, and as a parent there's nothing you can do to prevent it."

 

It's home schooling for Rowan because his immune system makes it virtually impossible to attend regular school. However, he can occasionally make it to martial arts class to perform a few drills.

 

Last November, Rowan was well enough to travel to Disney World courtesy of a foundation for terminally and chronically ill children called Kidd's Kids. The trip made quite an impression on little Rowan. He had an epiphany to pay this experience forward. So, he bent his mother's ear.

 

"I told her I wanted to sign autographs so other kids can go to Kidd's Kids," said Rowan.

 

His parents embraced the idea. Rowan is selling an autographed picture from his Disney escapade to fund trips to Disney World for other chronically ill children. The donation for the charitable photo is anything over $1.

 

So far, he has sold 40 pictures for just over $1,000. He plans to donate the total to Kidd's Kids.

 

"He knows he's special," said Carrie. "He knows he is important to so many people and how many people see him as a hero and knows how brave he is."

 

Sometimes Rowan only has the patience to sign about 10 photos a day. Yet, this is a kid committed to a cause even though he still needs help. His own medical bills are about $50,000 a month. That figure has ballooned into $500,000 during some hospital stays.

 

"He's a kid who could be crying on the curb about some of the things that have been happening in his life," says Brian. "But we choose, absolutely not to live that way."

 

None of these obstacles has stopped this young boy from dreaming. In fact, he knows exactly what he wants to be when he grows up.

 

"A superhero and a doctor," says Rowan.

 

In a few years, Dr. Superhero Rowan will need multiple organ transplants. His family faithfully prays for a miracle. Meanwhile, he picks up his Sharpie, pouring over a batch of pictures, signing his name and drawing a heart next to it - the act of a kid with the heart of a hero and the healing spirit of a doctor.

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To get your autographed photo from this amazing REAL LIFE HERO, click HERE.  Thank you for your prayers and support!