A personal plea for help for Micah this holiday season

Micah Roshell: Always a smile

Twelve-year-old Micah Roshell is slight in stature, but he’s got a big personality and a wide smile.

Unfortunately, there are many days when these qualities can’t shine forth, obscured by the face mask that he wears to ward off germs, or diminished as he is too weak to leave his hospital bed.

Diagnosed at just 9 years old with both Kawasaki disease and stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma after what were first deemed sinus headaches, Roshell has undergone several rounds of both chemotherapy and radiation, as well as multiple surgeries and constant blood transfusions. He is in need of blood and platelets every day, which are often too hard to get when the need is far greater than the supply.

And while he’s got his mom, Valetta, by his side at The Hope Lodge where the two stay during his treatments, the strain of not getting to be with his several brothers and sisters back home in DeRidder can be tough on both of them.

If this year finds you in the position to help this young man, please join us December 28 at The Blood Center, (3400 16th Street) for a blood and platelet drive benefiting our friend Micah. If you live outside the blood donation area or are not a qualifying donor, monetary donations can be made on Micah’s behalf at www.facebook.com/WGIRLS NOLA, or mail gifts to:

The Hope Lodge
c/o Micah Roshell
2609 River Road
New Orleans, LA 70121

You can also follow Micah’s story at www.caringbridge.org/visit/micahtraroshell/mystory.

Watch a video of Micah that aired on ESPN:

For more ways to get involved email contact@nola.wgirls.org.

Writer and filmmaker Brian Friedman writes about New Orleans for NolaVie.