My family has often splurged on Black Friday.\u00a0 I remember vividly one Black Friday back in 2000 when my brothers, boyfriend and mom all got up super early and stood in line in the cold at Best Buy.\u00a0 Brandon and I were both building new computers and there was a large hard drive (probably only 40 GB back then) for sale for an amazing price.\u00a0 My brothers thought they could get one also to save for when they headed off to college.\u00a0 We weren’t at the front of the line, but we were there crazy early.\u00a0 We were huddled with layers of clothing and had a thermos of hot cocoa we kept passing around.\u00a0 It was fun and exciting and the best part was that we actually were spending time together as a family.<\/p>\n

The doors opened at 6am and we rushed in to the store.\u00a0 Of course, there were no directions or maps, just a general sense of where things might be in the store.\u00a0 We headed to the computer accessories aisles and scoured the shelves for what we wanted. It was no where to be seen.\u00a0 But we were young and smart and had way too much caffeine for that early in the morning.\u00a0 One of us spotted on the super high top shelf a small little stockpile of these coveted hard drives.\u00a0 We called an associate over and he had to drag out one of those step ladder things.\u00a0 And then one by one, he started handing them down.<\/p>\n

We made quite a commotion and so others came by to see what we had found.\u00a0 Soon a crowd had formed, but I was right there at the front.\u00a0 With people pressing in, the sales guy handed me one, and I would quickly pass it behind me to a waiting sibling.\u00a0 I’d grab another and pass them back.\u00a0 One by one, we each got the hard drives we had so coveted.<\/p>\n

Ten years ago, a forty gig drive was stupendous.\u00a0 Today, my husband is investing in terabyte drives for his work computer.\u00a0 What we thought was so amazing is not worth anything today.\u00a0 We spent all of that money, probably loaded the drive with songs downloaded from Napster, and have nothing to show for it today.<\/p>\n

On Thursday night, we started going through what has become a routine.\u00a0 The newspaper was purchased and the ads were laid out on the dining room table.\u00a0 I saw lots of things I wanted, but I realized nothing that I really needed.\u00a0 There was nothing there I could live without.\u00a0 There was nothing that I needed to spend my money on.<\/p>\n

As parents and siblings have begun requesting Christmas lists, I have nothing to put on them.<\/p>\n

In my new position with Imagine No Malaria, I have spent a lot of time listening to stories.\u00a0 Stories of people who have experienced malaria personally and stories of families who have sacrificed everything to try to save the life of a loved one.<\/p>\n

Last week, Paul Wilcox shared with me this story:<\/p>\n

12 years ago I visited El Salvador, a small country nestled away in the heart of Central America.\u00a0 I met there a young woman, named Carmen.\u00a0 She had lost 3 of her 4 children to phosphorescent bombs during El Salvador\u2019s brutal civil war.\u00a0 Her remaining child survived only because Carmen carried him in her arms as she ran.\u00a0 She showed me the burns on her arms from that terrible night.\u00a0 Despite her heart-breaking loss, Carmen was a strong and resilient woman who was quick to smile and loved to dance!\u00a0 Her only son was the delight and joy of her life.\u00a0 Several days later my group returned to Carmen\u2019s village and I was shocked to find Carmen sitting outside her hut, looking completely spent.\u00a0 She was sweating and weak and literally waiting to die!\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you?\u201d I asked.\u00a0 \u201cParadismo\u201d she answered\u2014the Spanish word for malaria.\u00a0 Carmen was fully expecting to die.\u00a0 She had already \u201cgiven\u201d her son to her sister to raise.\u00a0 I asked her if she had been to a doctor.\u00a0 At that, she pulled from her pocket a doctor\u2019s prescriptions for quinine.\u00a0 She was preparing to die because she lacked the $20 to fill the prescription.\u00a0 It took exactly 30 seconds to raise that much money from our group to save Carmen\u2019s life, but how many others like Carmen; strong, resilient, and ready to rebuild their families and their communities, are reduced to shadows of themselves, weak and dying by this thief called malaria.\u00a0 When I returned home from this place where $20 can mean the difference between life and death, I realized to my shame that I spend that much on coffee in a week.\u00a0 It underscores for me what incredible power even a small gift can have in a world haunted by malaria.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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