1 . Rosie Colucci’s medical history is filled with a series of thunderstruck numbers: 3 rare and life-threatening diseases—an inoperable brain tumor(肿瘤), neurofibromatosis and hydrocephalus—countless medications, including six types of chemotherapy(化疗); 14 brain surgeries, mainly to implant catheters to keep fluid from gathering on her brain, a result of the hydrocephalus; 16 other surgeries and 230 tests; 405 clinic visits; 1,486 doses of chemotherapy; 71 nights in the hospital; 33 emergency room visits; and 11 stays in the ICU.

Another number: Rosie’s age—14. An official cancer diagnosis came when she was little. After a decade of being sick, the teenager would much rather focus on some different numbers.

Take 60,000—that’s how many new toys, games and blankets she’s helped get into the hands of hospitalized kids. She’s also raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for pediatric cancer research. Rosie increases her toy giveaways around the holidays but gives them out year round.

It didn’t sit well with her as a kid learning to share that so many people gave her stuffed animals and toys, while other kids hospitalized with equally serious diseases weren’t seeing the same gifts.

Rosie works tirelessly on Rosie’s Toy Box, a charitable organization she came up with, which now is on the path toward becoming a registered nonprofit, drawing hundreds of donated toys for hospitalized kids.

“I wanted to de-emphasize the expecting of gifts and asking for gifts, and I just wanted to give her a sense of giving rather than always receiving,” Cathy Reichl, her mother, said, “I hope it’s something that stays with her as she grows, and I think it will be—the realization that not everyone has what you have, some people have struggles with their health and we could just use something to brighten their days.”

4 . Life offers its fair share of challenges. At any given time, anyone can face difficult sea- sons in their life. It is true for you. When you're experiencing difficulty, it's always helpful to have a support system to get through it.     1    Knowing this, there are a few ways you can become supportive of a family member who is in the midst of a struggle.

Offer legal resources. If you have family members who are in trouble with the law, you can offer assistance by pointing in the direction of various legal resources, You can even decide to cover a part of their legal fees in court.     2    

Provide encouragement. When people are down on their luck, it's really easy for them to get discouraged and give up. Instead, it's a wise move to offer words of encouragement to the person. Always remind them that they're strong, capable and more powerful than they realize.    3    

Be a safe place. Sometimes, people struggle because they don't feel any love or support from anyone around them.     4    Be their light in the dark places. This can do so much for someone who is carrying a lot on the inside.

    5    You never want to make a person feel like they can't make it without you in their life. If you're allowing the family member to live with you for a certain period of time, be strict about what needs to happen during that time. Make sure that they develop a plan, time line and measured action steps that can help them get back on their feet.

6 . Five years ago, my husband and I bought a former farm. It’s a short ride from our Vancouver home but a world away. As we restore the land, I feel my well-being returning, but I think the farm is also working its magic on our son’s growing resilience (适应能力). Since Dev was 20, he has lived with mental illness. We have been on this journey with him from crisis to recovery.

    1     We found the farm.

It has taken a couple of years to clear the land, seed the lawn (草坪) and build garden beds. But we did it even as other parts of our life had come undone. The farm was holding our family together. We come over on weekends and holidays and have been planting.     2    

Before he went to treatment, we planted a “guild” in the old apple farm.     3     We dug around the weaker trees and placed in garlic, wildflowers and bone meal. It keeps the moisture (水分) and nutrients in, and the garden seems to thrive (茁壮成长) as a result.

    4     The land needed clearing, and Doug, our workman, worked steadily and helped whenever I asked. Asking for help is a principle in the recovery community, a lesson my son is learning. It truly does take a village to restore a farm and rebuild a life.

The desire to recover this land has grown in me.     5     He’s found his own kind of guild that supports him. Owning a farm was never our plan but it came when our family needed a meaningful project. When my hands are in the dirt, I remember that intervention (干预) is necessary and so is allowing nature to take its course. Digging is an act of faith, hope and anticipation of what will appear next.

9 . Candles were burning bright, exciting my two-year-old son, Jack, who moved forward to blow them out.

Jack’s third birthday was still a few months away but ever since his dad Gary’s big day earlier that year, my son hadn’t stopped talking about celebrating his own. His ,older brothers Oliver, 6, and Josh, 10, were happy to sing the birthday song with him.

But, over time, I grew concerned that Jack wasn’t well. My lovely boy was now a shadow of his former self. How could I ignore it, though doctors weren’t too concerned?

One day I was at work and shared my fears with a colleague. She comforted me and said it was safe to be careful. When I returned home later, I packed a bag and prepared to take Jack to hospital.

At the hospital, 1just couldn’t shake the feeling that bad news was coming. My suspicions(怀疑) were confirmed. We were told he had a very rare form of cancer.

Jack was going downhill rapidly. Gary and I took it in turns to stay with him in the hospital.“Your birthday’s coming up,”I told Jack each day, hoping he could remember the times we had sung him happy birthday before.

“Jack’s only option is a stem cell transplant (干细胞移植), and a brother or a sister might be the best chance you have.” a doctor told us. “He can have my head if he needs it!” Josh cried. Oliver wasn’t as enthusiastic as his older brother, but it was a huge relief when he was confirmed as a match.

Doctors were cautious about saying Oliver might save Jack’s life in case it didn’t work as planned. To their relief, the result was comforting. They were moved by Oliver’s bravery.

Oliver, now seven, really did save his little brother and they’re now closer than ever.“I didn’t want to do it at the very beginning but at the end I kind of regretted feeling like that because now I know how important it was.” he said.

10 . I kept it in a special box and pulled it out when my brother was to arrive with his wife for New Year. I carried it to the dining room and unfolded the white tablecloth. Its colorful embroidery (刺绣) popped to life. The signatures of all the family and friends who’d ever shared a New Year meal at our table were hand-embroidered on top.

I’d started my embroidery New Year tradition 20 years before, since I wanted something that was uniquely ours — something we could look forward to.

The first time I laid out the clean white cloth and asked the kids to sign it, my family looked at me as if I were crazy. Write on the tablecloth we hoped to protect from jam and tea? Yes! And these days, I have grandkids to carry on the tradition. Each year I used a different color embroidery thread, so we could relive the highlights of particular gatherings. I saw my grandkids’ signatures go from scribbles (潦草的字) to print. We added drawings for milestones, such as a baby’s handprint.

The doorbell rang, and I ran to let in my brother, Tom, and his wife. They’d traveled from North Carolina for their first New Year with us. After greetings and hugs, I led them into the dining room. Tom looked wide-eyed at the tablecloth he had seen only in pictures. He gently touched our mom’s signature, and I put my hand on his, “I’m thankful to have started this while she was alive.”

More than something to look forward to, our tradition holds memories to look back on. Everyone we love is at our table when we sit down for New Year.