This Christmas Season "The Heart Of Christmas" is available on DVD. The film is inspired by the true story of Julie and Austin Locke, and their son Dax.
At 15 months old Dax is diagnosed with Leukemia AML M7. Friends wrote letters about the Locke family and sent them to singer Matthew West. That lead to a song and that lead to the film.
Watching the film I noticed the strength Julie has for her son and others she meets at St. Jude Hospital for Children where Dax receives treatment. The Locke family cherishes all their time together with Dax. You'll see the community come together to make Dax's Christmas extra special.
You'll see courage and faith during a time many of us would not be as strong.
I had the opportunity to speak with Julie Locke about the film. I asked her about a few of the scenes in the movie. In the film we see a busy mom played by Candace Cameron Bure. She has a home based business and is always on the phone, and working. This leaves no time to attend the kids events or have family time. I asked Julie if this part of the film was about someone she knew or to send a message to the viewer. Her answer was it is about families, because we should Cherish the time we have together.
Later we see Megan (the busy mom) dropping her kids off for trick or treat night, and asks a neighbor why are they decorating their yard and house for Christmas? The neighbor explains it is for Dax. She does not understand. The neighbor hands her a business card ans says to read the online journal. She tells Megan if you read it, it will change your life. I thought that was such a great idea for Julie's friends to have cards they could give out with the web address to interested people. Julie talked about Caring Bridge where families and friends can connect and support each other during times of need. Instead of having to make phone calls and give out updates, people can go to her site and read the journal. She spoke highly of the site and recommends it for families to use.
Julie's husband Austin redecorates the hospital room to make it more like "home". A place where they could rest without leaving Dax. I asked her if the hospital staff was OK with the decorating and did it set off a re-decorating trend within the hospital. She stated her husband is an engineer and pays attention to details even making sure the door hinges did not squeak in the room. Julie spoke highly of St. Jude's hospital rooms that they are phenomenal.
We spoke a bit more about the film, and I asked Julie where blog readers could go to help:
Visit The Dax Locke Foundation where you can learn more, get involved and make a donation. The foundation is on the path to raise $1.6 million dollars to run St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for one day in honor of Dax.
Visit The Dax Locke Store to purchase ornaments and other gifts for holiday gift giving that support the foundation.
The Heat of Christmas DVD is available from Amazon or in stores. It is also available on GMC Channel.
Giveaway: There is a study guide available to go along with the themes in the film. Topics include holding onto your faith in difficult times, why you should Cherish friendships, finding peace, and to treasure each day. I have a pile of these study guides to give out. If you'd like a few sent to you please leave a comment on this post and I will email you. Buy the DVD and include the study guide for a Christmas gift!
At 15 months old Dax is diagnosed with Leukemia AML M7. Friends wrote letters about the Locke family and sent them to singer Matthew West. That lead to a song and that lead to the film.
Watching the film I noticed the strength Julie has for her son and others she meets at St. Jude Hospital for Children where Dax receives treatment. The Locke family cherishes all their time together with Dax. You'll see the community come together to make Dax's Christmas extra special.
You'll see courage and faith during a time many of us would not be as strong.
I had the opportunity to speak with Julie Locke about the film. I asked her about a few of the scenes in the movie. In the film we see a busy mom played by Candace Cameron Bure. She has a home based business and is always on the phone, and working. This leaves no time to attend the kids events or have family time. I asked Julie if this part of the film was about someone she knew or to send a message to the viewer. Her answer was it is about families, because we should Cherish the time we have together.
Later we see Megan (the busy mom) dropping her kids off for trick or treat night, and asks a neighbor why are they decorating their yard and house for Christmas? The neighbor explains it is for Dax. She does not understand. The neighbor hands her a business card ans says to read the online journal. She tells Megan if you read it, it will change your life. I thought that was such a great idea for Julie's friends to have cards they could give out with the web address to interested people. Julie talked about Caring Bridge where families and friends can connect and support each other during times of need. Instead of having to make phone calls and give out updates, people can go to her site and read the journal. She spoke highly of the site and recommends it for families to use.
Julie's husband Austin redecorates the hospital room to make it more like "home". A place where they could rest without leaving Dax. I asked her if the hospital staff was OK with the decorating and did it set off a re-decorating trend within the hospital. She stated her husband is an engineer and pays attention to details even making sure the door hinges did not squeak in the room. Julie spoke highly of St. Jude's hospital rooms that they are phenomenal.
We spoke a bit more about the film, and I asked Julie where blog readers could go to help:
Visit The Dax Locke Foundation where you can learn more, get involved and make a donation. The foundation is on the path to raise $1.6 million dollars to run St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for one day in honor of Dax.
Visit The Dax Locke Store to purchase ornaments and other gifts for holiday gift giving that support the foundation.
The Heat of Christmas DVD is available from Amazon or in stores. It is also available on GMC Channel.
Giveaway: There is a study guide available to go along with the themes in the film. Topics include holding onto your faith in difficult times, why you should Cherish friendships, finding peace, and to treasure each day. I have a pile of these study guides to give out. If you'd like a few sent to you please leave a comment on this post and I will email you. Buy the DVD and include the study guide for a Christmas gift!