Letter from the Editor: Resolutions worth keeping

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InMaricopa Magazine Editor Justin Griffin

With it being January, we’ve all made our New Year’s resolutions.

I’m sure many of the boilerplate items include losing weight, keeping a cleaner house and maybe answering more emails in a timely fashion.

But, instead of those resolutions that we all make and most of the time forget by February, why don’t we set a goal for ourselves to take care of one another?

That’s what happened over the Christmas holiday in the city of Maricopa.

An organization known as Best Christmas Ever, or BCE as I’ve heard it referred to in our office for the last two months, helps identify a family in a tough situation that was no fault of their own.

They certainly found one in the Powell family. Katrina Powell and her husband Mike Powell were thrown a curveball back in September when their 8-year-old son, Brayden, was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis.

What started out as a persistent cold and a fever turned out to be an illness where Brayden lost the ability to walk and is now wheelchair-bound.

Transverse Myelitis is an extraordinarily rare neuroimmune disorder. According to NORD, the National Organization for Rare Disorders, there are about 1,400 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States.

The treatment for the condition involves stem cell therapy, which is not included in the family’s health insurance policy.

As a result, the Powell family will take Brayden to Costa Rica for a series of treatments, which have been estimated to cost $100,000 for the full course.

It’s been quite a sight to watch the community of Maricopa come together to help this family.

It’s also encouraging. In a day and age where people are seemingly growing more and more disconnected from one another, it’s good to see a community come together to help out a family in crisis.

Acts of good don’t have to wait until next Christmas. Let’s all try to find ways to pay it forward throughout the year. Practice random acts of kindness.

That’s a resolution worth keeping.

This Editor’s Letter was first published in the January edition of InMaricopa magazine.