Dear Stefani, Hello. You don’t know me, but I am a devoted little monster. I am writing to you about a matter of great importance to me. I have had to wear a bag on my stomach to go to the bathroom (it’s called an ileostomy bag) for nine (almost 10) years, because when I was 23 I was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis and colon cancer stage 3. They removed my entire colon, and after about 3 abdominal surgeries, I was left with a (what I was told) permanent ileostomy bag that I would have to wear the rest of my life. No more tight shirts. No more bikinis. Just clothes to constantly cover that bulge under my shirt so nobody could tell I wore a bag. I remember the day when my three year old said to me when I told him my body was different from other women’s. He said, “you mean all mommies don’t wear a bag?!” Well, I found out that there is a surgery now that can be done where I won’t have to wear a bag anymore. The doctor makes a pouch out of my small intestine on the inside of me, and I insert a catheter into it from a tiny hole covered with a band-aid 3 times a day. This surgery means I will be in the hospital for 3 weeks, and my husband can only stay with me for 1 because he has to work. After 1 week I will be in the hospital alone for the rest of the time. Stefani, you mean the world to me. You have a fighting spirit even in the midst of adversity. You stand up for love instead of hate. I was at the Joanne World Tour when you said that you can never have an excess of kindness, and you could never have spoken words that were more true. You have inspired me to follow my dreams, even though people may turn me down. I write. I sing. And I’m going to make it. You know why? Because now I have nothing left. That music video alone was my inspiration to keep doing what I do. Most of all, I love what you have done for America’s children by going into the classrooms and helping kids follow their dreams. I am a teacher, but have been unable to teach because of my health. I know you know what that’s like. So Stefani, I would like to ask you a favor, and it’s a big one. Will you visit me in the hospital? My dad will come on the weekends because he lives in Florida where I will be having the surgery, but during the weekdays I will be alone. Nobody likes to be alone, especially in the hospital. I’ll be at Palms of Pasadena Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida March 20-April 10. I will be alone March 26-April 10. Please come. We will brighten each other’s day. I promise. Paws Up, Kimberly Morphonios Long