Editor:

We would like to thank The Press for running an article about our daughter Sydney and her journey battling an undiagnosed illness. Since the article ran on Dec. 23, 2010, we have been blessed so much by the outpouring of support from the community.

When you are in a battle with any illness over a long period of time, it can feel very lonely. Being in and out of hospitals and doctors’ appointments for the majority of your days makes connecting with others very challenging. We have been blessed with having Nana and Papa living close by and being so very involved in our lives and all three of our children’s education and some friends that have stood by us through all of this.

But since the article ran and the community has become aware of our journey, we have received so much support from some families in the same situation to families that couldn’t even imagine this happening to them. This added support has truly blessed us and let us know that the community is behind us and others like us. We are looking forward to the day that we can turn this around and help others as well.

For now, we are still working toward answers for our daughter. She has had a very challenging month, and as a chronic illness goes up and down with good and bad periods of time, it is hard to watch her in a bad time. We have many great doctors working to find the answer but we still have to manage the symptoms along the way.

We are so excited about the offers from many business owners and community members to continue the ability to have more fundraisers for the ongoing expenses our family faces. Willy’s Bagels in Brentwood is having a Sydney’s Journey day on March 12 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Proceeds from that day will go to Sydney’s fund at US Bank and we will be there all day to meet the community and make some new friends.

We have several other events penciled in and are looking forward to them as well. Please come by Willy’s to have a bite to eat and a chance for us to get to know you a bit and extend our thanks for all the support.

We truly believe that Prayer – Courage – Support is the only way we can travel down this journey. Sydney is the Courage and we surround her with Prayer and Support every day. Thank you for blessing us with your prayer and support. You have lightened our burden and helped us push forward in helping our daughter obtain the quality of life most of us take for granted on a daily basis. Thanks to The Press for getting our story out there.

If you are interested in following Sydney’s progress, you can go to www.caringbridge.org/visit/sydneystone or check out her website at www.helpsydney.info for upcoming events.

From our family to yours, we send you our heartfelt thanks.

The Stones, Brentwood