Five years ago today, my husband and I brought Camila into this world. She was healthy as can be, active and awake from day one, and loved and taken care of with an obsession characteristic of first-time parents.
Every year she’s hit her milestones right on target and continues to mature into an intelligent, creative and loving girl. Every year on August 18th we celebrate her life with a party of some sorts — cake, a piñata, friends, games and plenty of gifts. What we never do is really and deeply recognize just how incredibly blessed we are to have these annual celebrations with her.
Until now.
Thanks to Shot@Life and the United Nations Foundation, I’ve learned that, unlike my daughter, most children in developing countries never make it to celebrate their 5th birthday because they lack basic medical care and the routine vaccines that we have ready access to and may even, in radical cases, take for granted.
The exact and overwhelming figure would be that 1 in 5 children around the world lack access to life saving vaccines. In fact, immunization saves the lives of 2.5 million children every year.
To put the above statistics into perspective, it means that the number of kids that die every year from preventable diseases in developing countries is nearly equivalent to half the children entering kindergarten in the U.S.
Now that really brings it home for me because, not only is my daughter turning 5 today, but she’s also entering kindergarten on Monday. She’s one of the lucky ones around the world that has access to vaccines and has gotten to celebrate all her 5-years-of-life milestones.
Today I ask you to make your comments count and help me celebrate my daughter’s birthday. Help me create with this post a living testament that Camila’s 5th birthday will be one to be remembered, because the real gifts she receives will be your comments and the joy to know each one left here through the end of August will be matched with a $20 donation* — what it costs to give one child four life saving vaccines and help them on their way to celebrating their fifth birthday and first day of kindergarten.
Your comments in the last three and a half years have meant the world to me. You’ve been part of my girl’s evolution as a bilingual princesa. You’ve held my virtual hand when it’s gotten tough. We’ve laughed together at the nuances of our shared challenges. You’ve celebrated our triumphs. Now, I ask you to celebrate my daughter’s life with a comment and a shout out to your friends to join the party. A simple “Feliz Cumpleaños” left in the comments below will not only light up Camila’s face now and for the years to come when I show her this, but it will also become a $20 donation that will give one more kid a real Shot@Life.
You know we all like a good fiesta, let’s make this a huge and memorable one!
And if you want to make it even bigger, once you’ve commented here, head over to Jenny Eckton of Formerly Phread who passed the Blogust baton to me with her inspiring post “Help the Child, Help the Mother.” Then, follow the relay tomorrow over at Ilina Ewen’s blog, Dirt & Noise. Every comment here, there and on all 31 posts until August 31st will count towards our goal. You will make it count.
¡Gracias!
*This post is inspired by Shot@Life, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation that educates, connects and empowers the championing of vaccines as one of the most cost-effective ways to save the lives of children in developing countries.
During Shot@Life’s Blogust: Blog Relay for Good, 31 bloggers, one each day in August, are writing about people from our communities who have inspired us. Every comment on this post and the 30 other posts will be matched with a $20 donation (up to a maximum of $200,000). That’s 10,000 comments. And 10,000 children. $20 is what it costs to give one child four life-saving vaccines to help protect them against measles, pneumonia, diarrhea and polio. A child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine preventable disease. We can help stop this.
You can learn more about Shot@Life by joining their email list, following them on twitter or liking them on Facebook.
Want an easy way to share and help us reach our goal faster? Just click to tweet this:
Happy birthday to the beautiful Camila! Enjoy your day linda!
Happy, happy birthday, Beautiful Camila! Five is such an awesome age! Congratulations, Big Girl! Congratulations Mom!
Happy Birthday Camila!! You look beautiful in your outfit.
Thank you to your mom for helping save other kids’ lives.
Feliz cumpleaños a ti!! Ana happy birthday to your sweet girl! What a wonderful way to celebrate.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your daughter’s birthday. I hope it has been wonderful. Thanks for the opportunity to help other children.
Feliz Cumpleaños! Happy birthday!
Kindergarten is so much fun! You’re going to love it.
Happy birthday to your beautiful daughter – beautiful on the inside too, evidently. I hope more kids can grow up to be as kind and generous as you’re raised her to be.
Happy Birthday, Camila! I hope you have a great day!
Happy happy 5th birthday Camila!
What a wonderful gift you are giving to others. Hooray!
Feliz Cumpleanos ! How wonderful to be generous and beautiful and FIVE!
So much to celebrate today! A fabulous fifth birthday and amazing Ana – a most wonderful person and mother!
What a lucky little girl to have a Mami like you. Happy, happy 5th birthday!!!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday Camila! My daughters turn 10 tomorrow! It’s a great weekend for a birthday! Thank you for such a wonderful gift
Happy Birthday to beautiful little Camila. Here’s to a shot at life for another child!
Happy Happy Birthday!!! What an awesome way to celebrate her life!
I can’t believe she’s already 5. So cute and getting so big. I love that she wants a pinata that looks like her LOL!
You share these stats in such an amazing way… the one about children’s deaths equaling half the amount of kids going to kindergarten each year in the US… that one really got to me. Wow!
I’m glad our comments are helping reduce that. Thanks for your part! And happy birthday, Camila!
xoxo
Happy Birthday to your beautiful little girl! And, wow. These stats are so shocking! I love what you are doing and happy to support! Felcidades nuevamente! xoxo
YOU LEGEND
Happy birthday! Enjoy your fifth year and good luck with kindergarten. I know you’ll love it!
Happy birthday, Camila! What a special way to celebrate and share!
Happy Birthday from me and my baby daughter, Lily. I did not know that so many children do not make it to five years. We are so appreciative of what you’re doing!
Happy birthday! Five is such a great age!
Happy birthday to you! Feliz cumpleaños a Camila y a los papás de Camila
Se les quiere y que lo pasen cheverisimo. Besos!
Happy Birthday!!
Happy 5th Birthday to your little girl! My little girl turned 5 in May. We are so blessed! And thank you for bringing awareness to the fact that vaccines DO save lives!
Happy Birthday little sweetie! I am so proud of you for helping other little kids stay healthy!
Happy Birthday Camila! You are so lucky to have lived this long and will continue to live a long, healthy life thanks to your mom, dad, and Vaccinations!
Felicidades. Many blessings to you and all those kids that now have a better shot.
Hope you have the happiest birthday yet! Such a great idea.
Happy birthday! What a great day and a fabulous way to celebrate.
Happy birthday to your sweet girl!
Happy Birthday Camila!!!
happy birthday!
Camila is beautiful. That smile shows how much she is loved and cared for. Happy birthday, sweet girl!
Happy Birthday Camila!
Feliz Cumpleaños Camila! (And congrats to you, mami!) Five is a big deal.
But as you pointed out, every birthday is a big deal, one we take for granted. I love that this initiative will help give more kids those big deal birthdays they all ought to enjoy.
Feliz cumple, Camila! TQM!
Camila, que dios te bendiga en el día de tu cumpleaños. Que disfrutas de tu día con tu familia en México.
Happy Birthday Camila
¡Muy feliz cumpleaños, Camila! Puras bendiciones para ti en tu día. Ana, felicidades a ti también por celebrar el día en que todo cambió y te convertiste en mamá. Qué belleza que hoy celebres a tu hija ayudando a otros. Besos!
Imagine being the mom who loses a child knowing we have the means to prevent it. Kind of crazy, isn’t it? Let’s help more children make birthday milestones.
Awesome!!
Feliz Cumpleaños Camila! It was very nice meeting her at Azul on Thursday Ana. Enjoy the rest of your time with family and thank you for being part of such an important campaign:)
It’s sad to know that easily preventable childhood illnesses steal valuable lives…
Happy Birthday Camila, good luck in Kindergarden!
Ana, what a wonderful way to celebrate! Thank you for bringing awareness to this epidemic that can be prevented.
Felicidades Camila..un abrazo!!!
Happy, Happy Birthday, Camila! And to you, Ana, a happy birth-day as well!
Feliz cumpleaños Camila! I hope you enjoy your day today and your first day of kindergarten on Monday!! A big hug to you and your mommy from Guatemala!
Happy birthday, little clever girl. How exciting for you it is to grow up with 2 languages! I look forward to reading stories about you because they prepare me for what’s to come for us- my big girl is 3, and the little one is 1. I wish you a beautiful 5th birthday!
Happy Birthday Camila! What a great way to celebrate (although I’m sure there’ll be cake too).
My daughter is starting Kindergarten in just a few weeks and it’s certainly poignant to think that many mothers never get to see their children hit their 5th birthday. Happy Birthday, Camila!
Happy Birthday! What an amazing way to celebrate!
Happy Happy Birthday, Camila! You share a birthday with my sister, so that means it’s an extra extra special day.
A VERY happy birthday to your daughter and thank you for being part of this amazing project!!
Happy birthday!
What a special day! Congratulations to you (giving birth is no small feat!) and your precious little darling on this milestone. I have priceless photos of my son’s fifth birthday party at a nearby park; may this day be remembered fondly in your hearts for the rest of your lives.
You did a wonderful job of using your celebration to personalize the shockingly horrible statistics you shared. Thank you for being a part of this month of astounding opportunity to so easily save young and helpless lives.
Haaaaappy Birthday Camila!
Happy happy birthday to Camila! The power of Blogust to create a world with so many more opportunities like birthdays for children around the world is so very amazing!
Happy birthday!
Felicidades Camila te aseguro que este sera tu mejor cumpleaños!!
Happy Birthday – and what a lovely way to celebrate!
Feliz cumpleaños, Dios te bendiga y conceda los anhelos y peticiones de tu corazón.
Happy birthday to your little one! And congratulations on starting kindergarten. This is huge.
XO
Happy Sweet Fifth Birthday Camila! May all your dreams come true and blessings on your way with the touch of our loveable God; enjoy this day. Beautiful detail of your Mommy…. Have a Blast!
Happy Birthday Camila! Enjoy your day and have a great time in kindergarten!
Feliz Cumpleaños Camila! I hope you have a fantastic birthday and fabulous year.
Feliz Cumplean
Happy birthday!
Happiest of Birthdays Camila! Kindergarten is going to be a better place with you in it!!
Happy birthday to your beautiful daughter! May she live a long, happy, and HEALTHY life!
Feliz Cumpleaños! Great cause. Thanks!
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Camilita!
Thank you, Ana, for hosting Shot@Life today!
♪♪♪ Happy Birthday Camila! ♪♪♪ Wish your beautiful princess a fun day filled with lots of love and happiness!!
Feliz cumple a Cami, y creo que no hay mejor manera de celebrarlo que compartiendo el amor con el mundo.
Muchas felicidades y que pasen un día maravilloso!
Happy 5th birthday to your daughter! Thank you for being involved in this initiative.
Many blessings and much happiness on your birthday and everyday Camila!
Congrats & happy b-day
Happy birthday! Hope you have a fantastic day.
Feliz Cumpleaños!
What a beautiful gift for your daughter and for thousands of children all over the world!!!
Happy birthday!! Heres to other children getting the same chance at more birthdays too!
Happy birthday. Thank you for participating in such a great cause!
Ana, your daughter is beautiful! What a wonderful cause. I hope she has a very happy birthday. Cheers!
Happiest of Happy Birthdays Camila! Every child deserves a chance!!!
Happy Birthday Camila! 5 years old, wow! Andre says Happy day to you!
Happy Birthday Camila! Enjoy your special day!
Happy Birthaday Camila!!
Happy birthday to your lovely daughter!
Happy Birthday sweet Camila!
Happy birthday Camila! Feliz Cumpleanos!
Happy birthday Beautiful girl!!!
from our little Leo and new kindergartner to yours— Feliz Cumpleaños! You are amazing Ana!
Feliz dia Camila! Many blessings and hugs to you on your day and thank you for sharing them with children around the world.
Happy happy birthday! Thanks for participating!
Happy birthday!! Your post is a great present to C and kids all over. Thank you.
Happy birthday to your sweet girl. What a wonderful cause!
Happy birthday to your little girl!!
Feliz Cumpleanos beautiful!
what an amazing way to celebrate such a special birthday!! thrilled to have met you at EVO and so excited to be involved in Blogust with you!
http://traceyclark.com/blog/2012/08/10/making-it-count.html
Feliz Cumpleańos Camila! May all 5 year olds have access to everything we do!