White Dog and The White Dog Army
Wonderful World Wednesday
White Dog and our Army believe that there is no stronger power on the planet than people reaching out to others one hand or paw at a time. And we hold dearest in our hearts the concept of “paying it forward.” Joined together and sharing we CAN change the world and solve every problem…this we believe with our whole hearts.
There are so many in our Blog family who share this same vision and mission and it is in special tribute to our Angel Quinn and the Five Sibes pack that we have chosen tonight’s Wonderful World story. Their tireless work to raise awareness of canine epilepsy which bridges over in so many ways to the research being done in the human realm inspires us to continue our mission to advance comparative studies research in the catastrophic diseases that touch both two- and four-leggeds…like epilepsy and cancer.
We ask you to help spread the word by paying it forward. Honor Alyssa and the Five Sibes and leave a pawprint in the fight to raise awareness…and do your part to rid the world of this disease, which would certainly go a VERY long way to making it more wonderful!
By Good News Network Monday, September 23, 2013
Just three weeks ago, an 18-year-old girl in Erie, Pennsylvania named Alyssa Josephine O'Neill wanted to go to Starbucks with her mom but she suddenly died from an epileptic seizure.
Alyssa never got to taste her first pumpkin spice latte but, after the deadly seizure, her parents decided to buy 40 of the sweet, warm drinks for strangers, paying it forward in loving memory -- with her initials scribbled on the cup, #AJO.
As a result, some Starbucks employees joined in and a campaign was born. Using the same hashtag #AJO, people from as far away as Korea, Iceland and India are buying coffees for strangers, writing #AJO in loving memory.
The bigger point of the campaign is to raise awareness for epilepsy, which kills 50,000 people every year in the US. Alyssa had been diagnosed with the disease one year ago.
"There are not many other diseases where you can just be walking down the street, fall over... and possibly die," her father told WSEE News. "That's the worry we dealt with every day."
Billboards designed with #AJO #Paying it forward #Epilepsy awareness are being erected in several states, always colored purple as a symbol of the epilepsy research.
22,000 people have engaged on a Facebook page where photos of coffee cups and signs are shared.
Thousands of photos have been tagged with #AJO on Instagram. Her parents have been amazed at the outpouring of love and enthusiasm -- all stemming from buying a few pumpkin spice lattes for strangers, in their daughter's name. New fundraisers are planned in their hometown to raise money for research.
Watch the video here:
http://www.erietvnews.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9307382