Compassion United? Proof positive in Havertown
E veryone gets down on their luck from time to time.
Things don’t go as planned. There are problems at work – and at home.
But it’s not likely many of us have endured the kind of setbacks that the McGonigle family of Havertown have faced in recent months.
Simply put, Rachel McGonigle was overwhelmed.
She has overcome serious health issues of her own even as two of her children battled the ravages of Hodgkins Lymphoma.
As a child Rachel was diagnosed with Lymphadenopathy, a disease of the lymph nodes in which they are abnormal in size. Between the ages of 8 and 18, she had lymph nodes removed eight times. All tested benign.
“I had a fear of cancer most of my life,” Rachel said. “When my children were diagnosed, it was my worst fears come true.”
Daughter Aislin was diagnosed with cancer, as has another son Sam. A third son Josh also carries the genetic defect, but thankfully has not yet developed any signs of Hodgkins Lymphoma. Another daughter Miare did not inherit the genetic defect.
It was the Saturday before Easter when the enormity of her family’s plight fully landed on Rachel’s shoulders. As she stood in Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, she realized that Easter was the next day and she did not have anything for her children’s holiday baskets.
That’s when her desperate plight took a decidedly uplifting turn, reminding us once again of the basic goodness of people, not only in the McGonigles’ Havertown neighborhood, but of humanity in general.
Rachel McGonigle made a plea for help on Facebook asking if friends could reach out with a lending hand with her predicament. What happened next tells you everything you need to know about the basic goodness inherent in most people.
Rachel received more than 200 responses in a little more than two hours. Not only did a plethora of Easter baskets arrive at her door, but they were accompanied with Easter breakfast, Easter dinner, gifts, gift cards and even a gardening kit.
And what happened after that tells you everything you need to know about the McGonigle clan.
Rachel and her husband, Ted, decided to look beyond their own struggles and pay back the community’s outreach.
They have established “Compassion United Havertown.” It’s a Facebook page set up to offer a helping hand to those in the community facing dire straits.
“The Holy Spirit filled me when I got the idea to do a page to help other local families in need,” Rachel explained. “Because I allowed people into my trials and darkness, I was able to have my load lightened by others and create a place where neighbors can help neighbors in the Havertown community.”
Rachel knows probably better than most that reaching out sometimes is not easy. There is nothing especially pleasant about finding yourself in such circumstances, baring your soul and your plight to friends and neighbors, let alone total strangers.
“It is difficult to reach out and ask for help,” Rachel admitted. “But I find it more comforting to accept help from strangers than to keep relying on friends and family for everything.”
Now she’s ready to push that goodwill beyond her circle of friends.
“Who says this goodwill can’t just keep spreading and branch out to other communities as well?” Rachel asked. Indeed.
Much like another Delaware County group dedicated to rallying to the side of families dealing with cancer, the HEADStrong Foundation started by former star Ridley athlete Nick Colleluori, Rachel realized through her many trips to CHOP just how many families are dealing with overwhelming circumstances. Colleluori lost his battle, but his fight goes on in the organization he founded, which offers families in the area getting treatment a place to stay free of charge.
The McGonigles’ effort is not financial. Every month their page selects an individual or family that is struggling and allows them to post a “wish list” on the page, anything from a ride to the doctor, the help of a handyman, or someone to run errands.
They may seem like minor inconveniences, but not to someone with so much else on their plate.
Rachel McGonigle knows that as well as anyone. It’s the reason she decided to go public with her own needs, and her push to establish Compassion United Havertown.
“It is not about us,” Rachel insists. “Our story is only a catalyst to get this going. It is all about the families in the community who are struggling and can use a helping hand just to make it through a dark period of their lives. Put simply, it is all about neighbors helping neighbors.”
And as usual, Delco answered the call.
We salute the McGonigles for their magnanimous gesture.
They are confirmation of the basic goodness of people.
Compassion United in Havertown? You bet. The McGonigle family is living proof.
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