Sydney Martin started making beautiful rock necklaces when she was only eight years old. She started with rocks that she found along the beaches of Lake Michigan. This would prove to be an emblem of hope to thousands of children years after.
A time of darkness
At 10, Sydney’s world seemed to come crumbling about her when she was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis abbreviated as LCH. This uncommon blood disorder occurs when leukocytes referred to as histiocytes grow in an abnormal manner. The cells accumulate in different parts of the human body leading to lesions. The condition can result in holes developing in bones, skin rashes as well as damage to other organs.
“I didn’t know just how serious it was at the time,” says Sydney. “It happened so fast. One day I was having a CT scan, the next week I was having a biopsy and soon after was under chemotherapy. Looking back, I can’t believe I went through all that.”
LCH is estimated to affect one in every 200,000 kids under the age of 10 in the US annually. It is considered an uncommon disease by the government. There is therefore no funding set aside for research into the condition.
Still fighting
Sydney was extremely lucky and responded well to the treatment. Now 18 years old, she is completely healthy and is in college. However, for Sydney the fight isn’t over.
All through her treatment, her family as well as friends wore her necklaces as a sign of support. “It seemed natural to use the necklaces as a way to raise money for research into LCH,” says Sydney who founded The Giving Rocks Foundation with her friends and family.
The foundation, also referred to as Syd Rocks, sells necklaces and organizes fundraisers to raise money for medical research towards finding LCH cure. So far, the organization has raised just over $420 000 with Sydney lending a hand to each and every necklace sold.
“I have a necklace-making party where I train people how to go about making the necklaces,” she says. “Most people have a problem with the end knot- a slipknot so I have to do them all.”
Sydney is now a college freshman. However, even with a busy program tackling her biology major and dance minor, she aims to expand her fundraising efforts to campus by establishing a Syd Rocks organization for students. She has a fundraising goal of $500,000 for 2015 and she is almost there with $425,000 raised to date. We hope that during this holiday season, Syd is able to achieve her goal.
