Between now and the end of the year, we’ll be telling you the story of one of the many 2022 Team Summer chains of giving. Well, it’s three stories, actually. A trilogy, if you will. These stories take us from Georgia to Pennsylvania to Florida.
We start with a kid named Beckett in Pennsylvania. For Beckett, being seven years old started out great! In July of 2021, he was in the middle of a truly excellent summer. He had even gone fishing for the first time in his life and loved it! No, he didn’t catch anything, but he was sure his luck would change. And his luck did change… but not for the better. A neighbor noticed that Beckett looked really pale. The next thing Becket knew he was being whisked from his pediatrician to the children’s hospital, where he would spend the next six weeks. Turns out, Beckett had leukemia. Catching his first fish was going to have to wait.
Treatment had to be aggressive. In just his first week alone, he endured two blood transfusions, two platelet transfusions, two spinal taps, a bone marrow biopsy, a CT scan, and three chemotherapy treatments.
Even after Beckett got to come home, life didn’t exactly return to normal. Over the next 15 months, the now eight-year-old had to endure treatments that made him sick for days. Beckett is naturally shy, and his mom told us that all this medical stuff has made him even more withdrawn. And who could blame him? It’s a lot for kid to deal with, even a tough guy like Beckett.
We knew just the kid to get a smile back on Beckett’s face – Team Summer kid Lex in Georgia! Lex knew exactly what Beckett was going through, because he’d been through pretty much the same thing with his own cancer battles. And with his outgoing personality, we knew if Lex couldn’t find a way to cheer up Beckett, no one could!!
They met for the first time over Zoom!
After Lex welcomed Beckett to Team Summer, he told Beckett he had a big surprise for him. Beckett was…roll of drums…GOING FISHING!! That very day! Before Beckett knew it, he and his family were on their way to Top Water Trips to learn how to fish from an expert. Beckett was given everything he needed, including waders so he could actually walk out into the water to fish. Pretty cool, right?
And guess what?? After some instruction from fishing pro Kevin and a lot of patience, Beckett caught his first fish!! YAY!! Beckett and his little brother even got to touch it before they put it back in the water.
Way to go, Lex! Beckett finally got to do something normal. And we know that meant the world to him and his family!
Next week, we’ll tell you about how Beckett turned right around and helped a girl with cancer in Florida! Amazing story, so stay tuned!
If you have contributed to Team Summer, you’ve helped make these moments possible! We are in the middle of a VERY important fundraiser where the amount of money we raise has everything to do with how many gifts our Team Summer kids can give next year. From now until the end of the year, your donations will be matched 100%…up to $20,000! Right now, we are about halfway to our goal. Can you help us get all the way? We need you!!
