Oliver Nation: A Story of Determination and Prayer

Since his days in Mount Vernon’s Preschool, sixth grader Oliver Vanjaria has always been surrounded by the support of his friends and teachers. This year however Oliver has discovered just how much that support can mean.
A few weeks ago Oliver was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta after a rare health condition reappeared, one that involved swelling and bleeding in his brain. The condition first surfaced when Oliver was a student in the Young Fives program.
When his classmates and teachers learned about the seriousness of Oliver’s situation, they sprang into action making cards, sending positive thoughts, prayers, and creating and selling bracelets. In fact students circulated 200 bracelets with words of support: Oliver Nation. Fellow classmate and student leader, Carson Watson helped lead the bracelet effort said, “Knowing that Oliver has always been very strong during this process it helped us to know that he would come out of this stronger than ever and we wanted to be supportive of him during this time.”
Proving that support and prayers are making an impact, Oliver is recovering well. After undergoing a procedure with a team of doctors in New York, Oliver and his family have returned to an overwhelming amount of encouragement from the community. Oliver shared, “When I heard of my friends making and selling bracelets I thought it was a great thing because people were thinking of awareness. It made me feel good to know that my friends were concerned about me.”
Oliver’s parents were grateful as well.
“As parents, we have learned so much from Oliver’s determination, courage and strength. He has taught us to slow down and appreciate what we have, not what we don’t have. We will continue to encourage Oliver to do things beyond his abilities as we believe this is our gift to him. We will continue to challenge him and we ask that you, as his teachers and mentors, continue to do the same. This is just another speed bump in life that we must travel through and we will do so willingly with the help of our faith, family, and friends. Thank you again for reaching out to us, checking up on Oliver, and for your continued prayers, positive thoughts and encouragement. We are truly blessed.” –Patricia and Hank Vanjaria