Eli's MVPs

Again, I'm very excited.  We have started a Facebook page dedicated to Eli, updates about his health, and CHD Awareness.  It's called "Eli's MVPs", and we are very proud to ask all of you to become one of Eli's Most Valuable People.  We are so grateful for the support you've given us since his initial diagnosis.  We really don't know what we'd do without it.  If you're on Facebook and haven't "liked" our page yet, please do so by clicking here.

If you remember, last year we were the Ambassador Family for the Daviess County March of Dimes.  We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to come up with the "perfect" team name.  We wanted it to center around Eli and yet include everyone who has helped us.  You know, the whole "it takes a village" attitude.  Bryan suggested Eli's MVPs (meaning Most Valuable People).  It was perfect.  It tied in with sports, which is a big part of our lives.  More importantly, it honored those who have helped us so much by praying, offering an encouraging word, and many, many other gestures.  We also decided that name wouldn't be solely for the MoD team, it was for Eli and anything we chose to do to benefit him or increase CHD Awareness.

Over the last two years I've lost count of how many times we've been asked "What do you need?  What can I do?"  Most of the time our only answer was to ask for prayers.  We're still asking for those and that request will never stop.  We've recently been thinking more and more about Eli's future.  We're finally able to see that he may have a future.  We are fully aware of the challenges he faces, but we've come to realize that more and more heart babies are living to adulthood (with or without a transplant).  Granted, Eli's defects are one of the most severe combinations of CHDs, but even with that he still has a chance to grow up.  We've come to realize that we need to get serious about helping Eli through his future.  If he lives to adulthood, he will have a lot of expenses.  He may not be able to work a full-time job.  He may not qualify for health insurance.  He may have a job, but will have to take a lot of time off for medical procedures and testing.  A simple cold could put him out of work for a lot longer than the rest of us.  He may not be able to pay his bills.  The future isn't certain for anyone, but for a guy with half a heart it's even less certain.

We want to start a fund for Eli's medical expenses.  Our goal is that it is something he can draw from as an adult, but if need be we can draw from it before then for his expenses.  Did you know that the cost for inpatient surgery for CHD patients exceeds $2.2 billion annually?  In just over two years, Eli alone has accumulated almost $2 million in medical expenses.  He has a long road ahead of him, and we want to help him by making it easier. 

 So, all of you who have ever asked what you can do to help, here you go:  Become one of Eli's MVPs.  We are doing our first-ever fundraiser for Eli.  We've had a lot of compliments on the shirts we got for MoD, so we're starting with that.  We are selling tshirts and hooded sweatshirts with the Eli's MVPs logo on the front of them. 

This is our lovely model.  He even held the shirt out so you can see most of the design.  FYI:  Drool spot not included, but if you're really interested we can work something out.

You can't see the full logo here, but how could I not include this cheesy smile?!?

Here's the info:

Tshirts are offered in these three colors

Sapphire

Kiwi

Garnet

Sizes available are Youth XS - L and Adult S - 5XL
Prices:  $15 for all youth sizes and adult up to XL, $17 for adult 2XL and up


Hooded sweatshirts are in these three colors

Antique Sapphire

Kiwi

Charcoal

Sizes available for Kiwi and Charcoal colors are Youth S - XL and Adult S - 5XL
***Antique Sapphire is only available in Adult S - 5XL, no youth sizes***
Prices:  $25 for all youth sizes and adult up to XL, $27 for adult 2XL and up

We are getting these shirts from Garland Graphics here in Washington.  That's who did our shirts last year, and we have been very happy with the product.  Personally, I wear mine two or three times a month, and it has held up very well.  I don't see any signs of fading and the seams are still intact.  This has been a quality garment, so we are expecting the same this time around.

Once we have Eli's next surgery date set, we are going to ask everyone who purchases a shirt or sweatshirt to wear them on that day as a symbol of support for our little fighter.

If you want to order one, we do need payment before we can place the order.  Cash and checks made out to Bryan &/or Jessica Veale are accepted.  We are looking into taking payments via PayPal, but as of now that is not an option.  To order, contact us on Facebook through our personal pages or through Eli's MVPs page.  You may also contact us by email at elismvps@yahoo.com with your order or any questions you have.

Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU for helping!