Michael Treinen - Follow Up

This is just a follow-up to a previous post and also to say thanks to those of you that donated. I was very skeptical that they were going to be able to raise $500K in less than a week but it happened. Just goes to show you the power of the internet but more importantly the good will that still exists in this world. Living here in Noblesville, we heard many stories like the little girl who emptied her purse with her allowance to a teenager who had been saving all year for her Senior trip only to give it all to help Michael. Although these were monetary gifts it really shows these were gifts from the heart.

From The Indianapolis Star

"April 10, 2008-Jane Younce
We witnessed a miracle and humanity's kindness during fundraiser for Treinen$856,000 given to Treinen medical fund shows God's work
Pat Dorwin found herself smack dab in the middle of a miracle this week.
I'm glad I had the chance to sit down and talk with the Harris Bank employee, because media accounts couldn't possibly convey the information or emotion felt by Pat and her fellow coworkers as something larger than life took place this past week in Noblesville.
It started with a simple e-mail asking for a small donation for Michael Treinen, a 2007 Noblesville High School graduate who is desperately in need of a bone-marrow transplant but at his $1 million lifetime insurance limit. Michael's friends and classmates collected money, businesses and churches gave money and local restaurants donated proceeds of their sales. All of this effort was to raise more than $500,000 for Treinen's transplant after he hit the limit.
For several days, people poured into the Noblesville Harris Bank branch to make donations. So far this week, about $856,000 has been raised to offset the cost of the transplant. Employees from other branches had to be brought in to help with processing the donations.
I sat with goose bumps and tears in my eyes as Pat described how one little girl, who was barely visible above the countertop, gave her purse to Pat and told her to open it. The purse contained around $9.76. The little girl said it was all her allowance money, and money she had earned by picking up sticks in the yard. I asked Pat how she keeps from crying, to which she replied, "I didn't."
Pat also talked about people from around the country calling in, asking if the Treinen fund was legitimate and when the bank confirmed it, donations poured in from all over the nation and abroad. One lady on the phone said she had just been laid off from her job, but she thought she could afford to send $20. Oh, the tug of the heartstrings. Kids broke their piggy banks, teenagers emptied their pockets and hundreds of thousands of coins rolled into the branch.
I cannot imagine the worry and exhaustion the Treinen family has been through since their son's diagnosis. But "ask and you shall receive," was surely put to the test and the heavens opened. It shouldn't be a surprise that the man upstairs was listening or that he allowed us to experience a miracle when we were least expecting it. God is all about miracles. Sometimes we just have to be bold enough to ask. The Treinen family went beyond bold.
And in the face of this miracle, we have seen the face of humanity -- and it is good. Today it seems that when one turns on the television or picks up a newspaper, all we get are murders and deaths. Night after night we are subjected to images of violence on the news. Seldom are we subjected to something so pure and holy.
But it happened last week in Noblesville. And the ripple effects from this miracle are sure to be felt around the world. I truly believe every single person who donated, whether it was $5 or $5,000, will be touched in an awesome way. I know Pat will never forget the experience."