School District Five students earn national recognition for awareness campaign
For Immediate Release – October 28, 2024
School District Five students earn national recognition for awareness campaign
IRMO – Two Lexington-Richland School District Five seniors received national recognition for their work raising awareness of chronic illnesses.
Spring Hill High School students Mary Ellen Morrison and Bella Qian received the annual Len Rodger’s Spirit Award from Good Days Effective Compassion. This was awarded for their Fighting Chronic Illness Together Campaign, which designed and sold t-shirts, hoodies, bracelets, to raise money to donate to Good Days, which is donated to those with chronic illness that can’t afford treatment. They were able to raise over $3,100 for donation. They also made a podcast to raise awareness of chronic illness, and an online website where people can learn more about their campaign.
Freshman year Mary Ellen Morrison was diagnosed with a Functional Neurological Disorder, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Marfan Syndrome, and Covid long haul. She went from being a normal teenage girl to entering a constant battle with her health.
“As a teenager, I started to feel secluded from my friends, family, and peers because I convinced myself not only that they didn't want to understand, but that they couldn't understand what I was going through,” Morrison said. “Finally, after battling in silence for long enough, I decided to start leaning on my friends and family for support. I started to realize that I didn't have to go through my life alone anymore. As I emerged from my silence all I could think about were others that felt exactly the same but didn't have a support system that could help them.”
Mary Ellen decided to team up with her friend Bella Qian to create Fighting Chronic Illness Together to give others a space to find a community to support them. They decided to donate to Good Days to allow their efforts to support those with chronic illness(es) but also give them a community that understands them, and to help relieve that financial burden that can further that feeling of seclusion.
"When Mary Ellen and I started our Fighting Chronic Illness Together Campaign, I never imagined it would extend beyond our local community,” Qian said. “Our goal was to help or educate at least one person on how to support those with chronic illnesses. Honestly, when we donated $3,100, we were just happy that our money went to a good cause.”
The Good Days Chief Operating Officer reached out to the teens to award them with the Len Rodger's Spirit award.
“I was honestly so overwhelmed to get this award because just knowing that our work had been recognized, meant that we had made a change,” Qian said. “At the conference, Mary Ellen and I met a lot of people that were helped by Good Days, like the Good Days "Grandpa" who was a veteran in WW2 and dancing with a little girl who had Spinal Muscular Atrophy at the closing ceremony, was indescribable. Honored doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about this award, and I am forever grateful to Good Days for giving us this opportunity. It was one I will never forget, and I can only hope that I can live up to Len Rodger's legacy."
Morrison added, “Being recognized with the Len Rogers Spirit Award has entirely changed my perspective of this project. At first all I could think about was the monetary contribution that we were directing to Good Days, that the money was the extent to what we had accomplished, rather than the sentiment behind it. We were recognized for "dedicating our lives" to helping those with chronic illness(es), and that has meant the world. I would like to thank Good Days for recognizing our work, but also for changing the narratives of millions of those who are battling every day through the support they provide."
Good Days is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that lifts the burdens of chronic illness through assistance, advocacy, and awareness. Since 2003, Good Days has provided more than 2 million grants and distributed over $3 billion in assistance to help people get access to the healthcare treatments they need. Good Days offers a variety of programs, including premium, copayment and travel assistance. To learn more about Good Days and its grant programs, please visit www.mygooddays.org.
###