(MONEY Magazine) – Here's applause for your article on the chronically ill child, which I read as the parent of a child with kidney disease to whom I donated a kidney. I hope your article increases the awareness of the heartbreak felt by parents of a child with a severe chronic illness, and the need for and benefit derived from organ donations. Robert P. Margolis, M.D. St. Louis

Please forward this to the Clarke family: I was truly touched by your son's situation. His courage in the face of his adversities is something everyone can learn from. I would like to offer my emotional support and wish you the best in your search for a compatible kidney donor. I have also enclosed a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Since you live only 15 miles from Seattle, I assumed Jeffrey is a Mariners fan. I would like you to give him the card when he receives his next injection in hopes it will take the sting out of that injection. Del-Marc Fujita Kapaa, Hawaii

I never thought I would see the day when a family with an income of almost $100,000 and a $342,084 net worth would be entitled to ''welfare.'' Your financial advisers suggested that the Clarkes should lobby for 48 hours a month of government-provided home care or a $400 cash allowance. That $400 could feed a needy family for the entire month. I feel compassion for the young boy and his family; however, financial assistance from government agencies should be reserved for those who really need it. Joseph M. McCaffrey Stamford, Conn.