“will you buy a bracelet to help save my brothers life?”
my heart instantly sank, and my eyes welled up with tears, this is not what I was expecting.
Thirteen years ago we had just moved into our home in Seattle. One friday night it was cold rainy night and I found myself picking up a movie from Blockbuster. Outside of the store was a boy about nine years old selling bracelets. As I approached I assumed he was raising funds for a school walk-thon, a sports team, or perhaps some sort of mission trip. I watched him muster up the courage and ask me “Would you like to buy a bracelet, to help save my little brother's life?”.
The words echoed “to help save my brothers life?” My heart instantly sank, and my eyes welled up with tears, this is not what I was expecting. I began to learn from this young boy and his father about their family’s journey in discovering
that their youngest son had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer causing them to move their family from Alaska to Seattle as their only hope to save him. They had almost no funds, and little support. As I looked into the father's eyes I saw both despair and hope at the same time. Despair in the fact that never did he wish it on his oldest boy to be robbed of childhood with a last resort of selling bracelets outside of a blockbuster, and for his other son who was fighting this terrible diagnosis of cancer. However, in this despair I also saw tremendous hope and determination that his son, his brother would live, and would be cured.
They were willing to do whatever it took even if it meant standing outside of a blockbuster on a cold rainy night to add extra funds to the countless medical and financial debt that they found themselves in. As I drove home with several bracelets I saw the hospital and thought of all the painful stories told between those walls of those buildings, I also thought of the heroes; the parents, the brothers and the sisters, the doctors and nurses, all fighting against this vicious thing called cancer. I remember praying a prayer that someday no matter how small I would like to be part of something that would help these families, and impact their lives.
allistaire.
her joy was heroic to all
Allistaire was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia when she was 21 months old, right before her 2nd birthday. Seattle Children’s hospital would become her second home as her family would travel back and forth from Bozman, Montana.
She underwent treatment after treatment and more often than not it would cause her small little body to become even more frail and depleted. Yet through it all, her smile never dimmed and she constantly changed the lives of those around her.
I learned about Allistaire’s life through a dear friend who was her faithful nurse who turned friend. We would hear about Allistaire and her family’s journey over several years. Their family would travel back forth from Montana, and barely could ever be together since trying to keep jobs to pay for their unexpected upward journey fighting cancer for their little girl. Allistaire’s mom, a hero in every way took on the full-time position of staying with her while their family would be separated. The excitement and joy when they would get the news that the cancer would go into remission and they could be reunited and perhaps live a much more normal life.
Only to hear a few months later it returned to her little body. With relentless faith, they never stopped fighting. One Christmas after hearing that Allistaire had to return to Children's Hospital yet again, my husband and I felt impressed to find out their Christmas wish list.
They of course had no time for shopping so we worked with our friend who knew them well. From art projects for their girls, toys, to a spa treatment for their mom, and a date night for their parents. Small luxuries that would make them feel like they were not alone on this journey. On Christmas Eve our little family went and delivered the gifts to them, and watched tears roll down their eyes. In light of everything that they faced it did not seem like our gifts could compare. But it moved them, and moved us even more. The joy that it caused their kids, and the impact it made in their heart moved us all to tears. A few months later Allistaire would go to heaven shortly after her sixth birthday. Her life impacted more people than any of us could ever know and her story lives on through their beautiful family and all the people they came into contact with.
the lawrence family
My son was going into Kindergarten at a new school. Each day as I dropped him off I noticed that there was a cooler outside of the door. Later we found out that it was for Jack's family. One of the amazing moms in the school knew that Jack's family’s life was so full of appointments and treatments and quarantines because Jack's little brother Henry had been diagnosed with a very rare form of leukemia.
We would get to know Jack a little bit, but more often he would have to miss school, or had to stay home from play dates because their sweet family could not risk him bringing home any sort of virus for their son Henry. Henry had just undergone one last bone marrow treatment as a last ditch effort to save his life. As I saw Jack each day while I picked up or dropped off my son, I couldn't help but notice the courage that he carried. He was kind, he wasn't hard hearted for the journey he involuntary was on, and he carried peace. As Christmas time approached a group of friends and I were talking and together we all felt impressed to give this amazing family Christmas, perhaps we could lift a small burden. We were able to raise together around a thousand dollars worth of gift cards, to restaurants, spa day for their incredible mom, amazon gift cards for toys for their kids, and few more small luxuries, it was so fun to do this joint together.
I went to their home and dropped off the gift, I did not go inside because the flu bug was particularly bad that year (the year of the corona). Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Henry, who had his feeding tube in, and his mom just brilliantly taking care of three small children one with cancer. She called me shortly after, with too much humility and kindness. She was so beyond grateful for the presents, and how deep of an impact that it meant. For us she was the hero, and we just felt honored to be part of her journey.
we were both moms, but with two different stories
Living so close to Children’s Hospital, we see families all the time who are going through treatments, some for cancer others for different diagnosis. While walking the paths nearby, or frequenting the local market its easy to see different families with different stories. We happen to live near one of the most beautiful markets in our city, which is right near the Ronald MacDonald house. This is a home that is dedicated to creating housing for families who have on going treatment with cancer and other illnesses. I ran into the market one day to pick up a couple items we needed for dinner. As I walked around the store I noticed a woman who was pushing a stroller with a little girl in it, and had two other small children with her. The child in the stroller had an oxygen tube and looked very frail. It did not take a lot of deductive reason to realize she was receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital. As I saw the woman, she was smiling and laughing with her kids, even in the midst of devastation she had so much joy. As she shopped she looked at every price tag and i noticed she was making sure she had enough money. My heart broke again. Tears falling down my cheeks. She did not ask for this, how was it possible for her to manage this life? As I went to check out, she happened to be right in front of me. My heart started beating a thousand miles an hour, I did not want to offend her but I wanted to buy her groceries. She did not seem to be fluent in english, and my Spanish was poor. I somehow was able to communicate that I wanted to buy her groceries that day. Tears started falling down her cheeks. We stared into each others eyes, from one mother to another. For me, I had healthy kids, my life wasn't near perfect, but the perspective she gave me that day I had so much to be grateful for. I wanted to help more. I wanted to give more. A small gift for a greater impact. A small way to say, I am fighting with you.