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A young Taft woman, extremely ill with a rare form of a rare disease, spent Christmas back in Taft, surrounded by her family and asking only for prayers – prayers in the form of Christmas cards.
Casie Mobley is 19 and went into hospice care as Christmas approached.
She suffers from arteriovenous malformation, a disease that affects the flow of blood to organs.
She he is staying with her family on Shattuck Street is South Taft, in a hospital bed in the living room.
An effort to get as many Christmas cards as possible was launched in the community and on the internet.
Cards mean a lot to Casie, more than most people can imagine.
“Every card I get is a is a prayer and I need all the prayers I can get right now,” she said.
She is staying with her mother, stepfather, sisters and young nephew in the Shattuck Street home.
She spent most of her life here, then moved to Washington for two years.
As the symptoms of her disease became worse, she came back home.
“I'm just getting weaker," she said. "I wanted to be with my family.”
Since the Christmas card campaign started, she has something to look forward to – the postal carrier.
“I get real excited because I want to see how many I get. I got 27 today,” she said last Tuesday, beaming from her hospital bed. “Each card is a prayer.”
Her family loves the support.
“We want to say 'Thank you,' ” said Casie's sister Brittany Gibson. “It's a Christmas Miracle.
She has already received letters from all over the world, including Iraq, England and Australia.
“It truly does show that people do care about someone they've never met.”
But people who have met her are helping, too.
Linda (Trixie) Hodges got Casie's hair done.
“Trixie is awesome,” said Casie's mother, Stephanie Mejica said.
Pastor Ron Griffith from the Westside Believers Fellowship came by to pray with her and help arrange to have Casie's nails done.
But life is still difficult.
“She does good and she has low moments,” said Mejica.
Casie was diagnosed with AVM 14 years ago, when she was just 5.
AVM is a malformation of blood vessels where blood goes straight from arteries to veins without passing through the capillary system.
It is most common in the brain, but Casie's form affects all her vital organs, and they are being deprived of the blood supply.
The family is taking good care of her.
That means a dozen cookies a day, among other things.
“Whatever she wants, she gets,” said Mejica. “We're just trying to make her happy. She's special. She's been through a lot.”
To continue to make Casie's Christmas merry, just send a signed Christmas card to:
Casie Mobley
321 Shattuck
Taft, Ca. 93268
A young Taft woman, extremely ill with a rare form of a rare disease, spent Christmas back in Taft, surrounded by her family and asking only for prayers – prayers in the form of Christmas cards.
Casie Mobley is 19 and went into hospice care as Christmas approached.
She suffers from arteriovenous malformation, a disease that affects the flow of blood to organs.
She he is staying with her family on Shattuck Street is South Taft, in a hospital bed in the living room.
An effort to get as many Christmas cards as possible was launched in the community and on the internet.
Cards mean a lot to Casie, more than most people can imagine.
“Every card I get is a is a prayer and I need all the prayers I can get right now,” she said.
She is staying with her mother, stepfather, sisters and young nephew in the Shattuck Street home.
She spent most of her life here, then moved to Washington for two years.
As the symptoms of her disease became worse, she came back home.
“I'm just getting weaker," she said. "I wanted to be with my family.”
Since the Christmas card campaign started, she has something to look forward to – the postal carrier.
“I get real excited because I want to see how many I get. I got 27 today,” she said last Tuesday, beaming from her hospital bed. “Each card is a prayer.”
Her family loves the support.
“We want to say 'Thank you,' ” said Casie's sister Brittany Gibson. “It's a Christmas Miracle.
She has already received letters from all over the world, including Iraq, England and Australia.
“It truly does show that people do care about someone they've never met.”
But people who have met her are helping, too.
Linda (Trixie) Hodges got Casie's hair done.
“Trixie is awesome,” said Casie's mother, Stephanie Mejica said.
Pastor Ron Griffith from the Westside Believers Fellowship came by to pray with her and help arrange to have Casie's nails done.
But life is still difficult.
“She does good and she has low moments,” said Mejica.
Casie was diagnosed with AVM 14 years ago, when she was just 5.
AVM is a malformation of blood vessels where blood goes straight from arteries to veins without passing through the capillary system.
It is most common in the brain, but Casie's form affects all her vital organs, and they are being deprived of the blood supply.
The family is taking good care of her.
That means a dozen cookies a day, among other things.
“Whatever she wants, she gets,” said Mejica. “We're just trying to make her happy. She's special. She's been through a lot.”
To continue to make Casie's Christmas merry, just send a signed Christmas card to:
Casie Mobley
321 Shattuck
Taft, Ca. 93268
