DEAR ABBY: I am an 11-year-old girl. My mommy was diagnosed with MS a few months ago. I would like to help the hospital raise money to find a cure to fix her and others like her.
Ten percent of my bat mitzvah money is going to find a cure for MS. My sister says it's a stupid idea because if there was a cure they would have already found one. Do you think I'm doing the right thing? -- WANTS TO FIX MOMMY
DEAR WANTS: You're doing a wise and wonderful thing. If the medical community thought the way your sister does, they would still be hitting people on the head with rocks in order to anesthetize them for surgery, and none of the miraculous medical advances of the last 100 years would have come about. The answer to diseases like your mother's lies in research -- and research costs money. Please don't let yourself be intimidated. Your instincts are excellent.