LAKE WINNEBAGO, Mo. -- An event called Freezin For A Reason was dreamed up by Lake Winnebago residents to raise money for a friend's children by having people water ski on the frozen lake.

"I have to give myself a shot every day, and after those I feel sick," Grace Cox, who suffers from a bone marrow disorder, said.

Twelve-year-old Cox said she has a positive outlook on life, despite the grim future she faces. She and her two brothers all have a rare generic bone marrow disease, which weakens their immune system to the point where a common cold could kill them.

"They just have to be careful, they can develop infections and those infections can run rampant because they don't have the immune system and white blood cells to fight," father Chris Cox said.

Treatments for the Cox children costs thousands of dollars and a bone marrow transplant, if they found a match, would cost $1 million. Enter their Lake Winnebago neighbors, who created Freezin' for a Reason four years ago to help raise money for the family to pay for treatments not covered by health insurance.

"There's a lot of things they do that aren't covered or you have to fight and fight and fight with the insurance company to get them covered," Chris Cox said.

The chilly temperatures Friday froze a layer of ice on the water, so instead of water skiing this year, a tractor pulled boarders in the snow. Chris and his family live in North Carolina now, but the family comes back to his old neighborhood every year for this event and he can't thank his friends enough for their help.

"It's really good for them to see what all these people are doing to help them and our family," Chris Cox said. "Thank God for everyone coming out and I hope they come out and get close to God."

In the last four years of this event, neighbors have raised more than $50,000 to help pay for the treatments for these kids.

Those wishing to donate to the Cox family can e-mail freezinforareason@comcast.net or send a check payable to: Freezin For A Reason, Union Bank, 3700 SW Cheddington Dr., Lee's Summit, MO 64082. Those wanting to donate can also donate at any Union Bank.

For more information about the Cox family, click here.