Do Something For Good

Every year I ask my husband what he wants for the holidays and he always gives me a list of organizations to which he would like me to contribute on his behalf. On one hand, this drives me insane. How dare you do something altruistic that make me feel bad for asking you to buy me a Nordstrom gift card? On the other, much more important hand, he is absolutely right to think that the best gift anyone can give is something that will help as many people as possible, especially right now.

On this Giving Tuesday, if you're looking for ways to do that, please consider contributing to Team Telomere. This is an organization that advocates for better treatments and potential cures for people with telomere biology disorders, conditions that can cause serious problems, including bone marrow failure, lung disease and liver issues.

My son has a TBD, inherited from my father, via me. We are grateful that, while he's been in bone marrow failure for several years, his health is still pretty normal. But not everyone is that lucky. The more we can do to create better treatments, the better off he and others like him will be, now and in the future.

Thanks for considering it, and know that even a small gift can make a big difference, in addition to being something you can low-key mention at Christmas brunch to highlight how much more generous you are than the rest of the family. Because that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.