Let’s Begin

Hello my dears!  Creating Smiles Week is finally here and I am so excited to let the fun begin! 

Please, if you could, spread the word about Creating Smiles Week. Also, if you would like to “last-minute-contribute” email me (hannahhandmade.blog@gmail.com), and I’ll be sure to fit you in!

Ok. First off, I must ask, what is your ABSOLUTE FAVE charity?! 

I have to say mine is the Larisa Hertz Burn Fund. This fund is for one of my friends in Kansas who was on the way to her best friends birthday party when she ran into a pole and got burned badly :(

Here’s one of the first posts on her blog...

I have never EVER wanted to do this before. I felt as if it was my duty to do this for my best friend forever, Larisa Lynn Hertz. Yesterday (September 25, 2009) was my 16th birthday. Larisa called me just before she left her home at 5:15 pm. We were so excited and talking about everything we were going to do. I was going out to eat with a group of my friends and we were waiting for her. My parents and I had to pick up one of my friends to take the restaurant and as he got in the car I said, “I have a feeling something is going to go wrong tonight.” When we got to the restaurant I wanted to wait outside for Larisa. I called her to see if she was close… no answer. I called 10 times with no answer, and I knew something was wrong. My parents were telling me that maybe she forgot her phone at home, but I knew her too well. We decided to go in while my dad waited outside. About 30 min. later my mom called Monica Hertz ( Larisa’s mom) to see if she had heard from Larisa. She said that a policeman came to their house to tell them that they air lifted Larisa to Via Christi St. Francis burn unit in Wichita, KS. My parents came back in the restaurant to tell me what happened, and I started bawling. My friends started telling me,”Everything is all right! They have to take her to the hospital anyways and check to see if she’s alright.” But I knew it was worse than that. I got out of the restaurant as fast as I could to go to the hospital. I found out more about her.

Larisa, while on the way to my house, we don’t know if she hydroplaned ( it was raining hard) and  ran into a telephone pole in Durham KS. The pole we think fell and hit her car and the wires somehow burned her. She somehow touched the wire with her left hand. Her body mostly head, neck, and chest area, is 23% burned. She has 3rd degree burns and will have to go through surgeries. She was found immediately and they took her to the hospital. The emergency people got there in about 10 min, and airlifted her.  She is sedated and on a respirator. 

We don’t know why this happened to such a beautiful, nice, awesome, 16 year old.  We are trying to be strong. 

- Emily Rebekah Grainger

Larisa at the hospital

 Larisa with her BFF, Emily

I also saw this in one of the posts written by Emily...
When we would go visit Larisa, we had to wear a plastic robe and latex gloves. I remember the first time that a nurse allowed me to take my gloves off to feel her skin. I also remember when I was told that I would get to hear her talk for the first time in a LONG time. I didn’t know what to expect but when I got into her room they were prepping her for it. I held her hand as they opened up a tube so that she could speak, and when she said “hi” back to me for the first time since the accident all I could do was cry – there was this intense emotion of happiness that overflowed me!

This was the wrecked car

So,  to begin Creating Smiles Week I would like you to check out her story or you can donate to the Larisa Hertz Burn Fund here!