Operation Make A Difference

This is a heart warming story that I hope will move you to make a small contribution. The story comes from 11Alive here in the greater Atlanta area. So read the story, watch the video and then go to Operation Gracyn and make a difference.

LOGANVILLE, Ga. -- In the town of Loganville, so many in the community have reached out to help a four-year-old girl with cerebral palsy.

The girl is Gracyn Rhodes, and she was born at just 2 lbs., 6 oz. eleven weeks ahead of schedule. Her mother, Brandi, says doctors told her that night Gracyn would be "lucky to make it through the night."

Gracyn made it through the night, but she was developmentally slow and two years later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The two years since have been filled with therapy, injections, and braces -- even though Gracyn has learned to walk relatively well without them.

But she still struggles and falls frequently. Her family believes they have found the answer in a rare surgery called SDR; it helps with the spasticity and only applies a few CP patients.

But Gracyn falls into that group.

The surgery costs $40,000 and is best done in St. Louis; insurance won't cover out-of-state surgery, so the family has turned to the community in Loganville.

And the community has responded.

In less than a month, the people of Loganville have contributed roughly $14,000 to Gracyn. But, of course, that's not nearly enough, and Gracyn's parents are hoping to have raised the full $40,000 before their daughter's surgery in October.

Please go to www.operationgracyn.com to find out more and donate to the cause.

(Click to play the add...then click play again to see the news story)