Dear Family and Friends:

My name is Lisa Bradley and I am contacting you on behalf of Simon's Angels, a local 501(c)(3) foundation started in memory of my son, Simon, whose brief life inspired my family and friends through this heart-wrenching plight in life. He was born on August 25, 2004 with two congenital illnesses that would have necessitated a multi-visceral transplant surgery. He would have needed several organs donated to him in order to sustain life. Tragically, complications from his illnesses (Hirshsprung's Disease and Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome) took him from this world, August 26, 2005. In his absence we keep his memory alive by raising money to help children in similar circumstances as Simon. Our wish is to give pediatric transplant recipients and families a glitter of hope in desperate times. It is during these times that families need to be together, and we hope to make that possible for families in direst need of help.

While Simon was with us he was in the care of fantastic staff of doctors and nurses at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. Although he was born at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, his needs were unique and he was moved to South Florida to benefit from the innovations in the pediatric transplant research and surgery piloted by the team in Miami. It was in Miami that our family witnessed first hand how some children did not have the luxury of continuous round the clock care and attention by a family member. Simon was lucky in that respect-he was never alone. But many other families needed to work in order to keep up with the bills that accumulate when you have a child with severe medical needs. Many families suffered because they tried to stay together. Some lost their jobs, their homes, and eventually couldn't afford the gas they needed to travel from their home states. We realized that we could make a difference in the lives of these children and their families, and Simon has given us the strength to do it.

In the last three years we have raised over $50,000.00 to help transplant families with medical expenses, medicine, housing at Ronald McDonald or Transplant House, electricity, lodging, transportation, donation to the Pediatric Transplant Department and even funerals. Our goal at our 3rd Annual Family Fun Day is to exceed last year's total of $20,000.00. We need your help to do so and hope that Simon's story will entice you to help those who will benefit from your generosity. Please join us on Sunday, August 24th at the Port Orange YMCA at 12:00. There will be fun for the entire family ... food, swimming, bouncy castle, raffles and a silent auction.

Family comes first and our desire is to give a ray of hope to children and their families in need. I know in my heart Simon is looking down on us and is pleased with how we are keeping his memory alive.

In the meantime, please spread the word promoting organ donation ... just by passing it along, in the words of Flannery O'Connor, "The life you save might be your own."