JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – So many of you showed Jacksonville how generous you can be.
You helped News4JAX reach an incredible goal on Monday, raising $135,000 to help the young patients and their families at Nemours Children’s Health as they deal with life-threatening illnesses. This is the fourth year Channel 4 has teamed up with Nemours Children’s Health to raise money for the families most in need in our community.
So many called in and supported kids like 7-year-old Reign Jefferson. She has sickle cell anemia and has to go to Nemours every three months for treatment.
“Nemours is my family,” Jefferson said. “Nemours is really special to me.”
Sickle cell is a life-shortening and painful blood disorder, but Jefferson, a little fireball, doesn’t let that stand in the way of enjoying her life to the fullest. She told us it’s a trip to Nemours is an adventure.
“I have fun. Really fun. I get my face painted. I get to eat from the cafeteria. I can watch the trains, and when I walk in the door they make me feel comfortable,” Jefferson said.
Reign’s mom said Nemours Compassionate Care Fund helped her and her family through the tough times.
“Not just physically, but also as well as mentally. They helped us to be able to educate ourselves how to properly deal with this disease which of course affects her blood and affects her on a daily basis,” Elecia Goodman said.
Her mom said the support that comes from Nemours and the people donating touches her heart.
“It is overwhelming,” she said. “And I appreciate it every day. Every day I look at her and I see that she is healthy and that she is able to do the things that she does.”
And her mom says she stays busy.
“She is very active. You would never know she has sickle cell,” Goodman said. “We are learning more and more that they can keep them from having to suffer from sickle cell and able to enjoy life just like every other child.”
All of the money raised Monday stays local, supporting Nemours programs and services that make life easier for families who are battling life-threatening illnesses.
Any donation can especially help children whose families are struggling financially. If you’d still like to join in this Day of Giving to Nemours, you can donate here.