Our end-of-year Matching Gift Fundraiser is well underway! We are happy to report that, so far, we are about a third of the way to our matching pool goal of $20,000!
Here’s a reminder of why the success of this fundraiser is so important. It’s all about kids like Bria who have been through so much.
Bria’s ordeal began as a historic winter storm was bearing down on her and her family in Texas in 2021. Just as the snow started to pile up, the three-year-old woke up with mysterious bruising around her eyes and a lump on her head. It took a couple of days to dig out and get to a medical clinic. But the doctor wasn’t alarmed, concluding that Bria must have fallen in the night without her parents knowing. However, the bruising just got worse. When Bria went back to clinic a week later, the doctor sent her straight to the children’s hospital. A scan showed Bria had a mass in her stomach. It was neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nerves.
Treatment started right away. The surgeries and radiation Bria had to endure were really hard on her tiny body, but the treatments were working. Within six months, she was in remission.
But two years later, the cancer was back with a tumor in her brain. She was almost five years old and had just started kindergarten. Bria was old enough now to understand what was happening, and she was scared when she had to go back to the hospital for brain surgery and radiation. And this coming December, while most families are settling in for the holidays, Bria will be starting six rounds of chemotherapy.
This is where Team Summer kid Grayson comes in!
He heard about Bria when their moms met in an online support group. Grayson knows all about what it’s like to be a kid trapped in a hospital. He’s been battling kidney cancer and spent last Christmas there. He wanted to cheer Bria up, so he nominated her to become a Team Summer kid! We found out that she had been wanting a stuffed toy unicorn. She was sure it would make her feel less scared. It wasn’t anything her family was able to swing at that time, but thanks to donors like you, Team Summer could make it happen!
Everything was all set for Bria to get her gift, but at the last minute, Grayson couldn’t make it. Since all Team Summer gifts are given from one kid with cancer to another, we asked Team Summer kid Briley to step in. If her name sounds familiar, that’s because since becoming a Team Summer kid in 2018, Briley has given 19 gifts!!! That’s a Team Summer record!
With Briley on board, it was time to meet Bria on Zoom!
Briley welcomed Bria to Team Summer and let her know that she was about to get a big surprise…and we mean BIG! Briley told Bria to turn around, because hiding behind the couch was…her very own magical unicorn!!!
As you might imagine, Bria was over the moon! She wants to take her unicorn with her everywhere, and she never feels scared when it’s close by!
A big thank you to both of our awesome Team Summer kids – Grayson and Briley – for helping Bria get through some really tough days.
And thanks to all of you who support Team Summer. You are the ones who make gifts like these possible! And right now through the end of the year, your donations will be doubled through our Matching Gift Pool!
A quick update: Since so many of you know Briley through all her Team Summer gift-giving, we thought you might like to know how she’s doing. She is now in the 7th grade and cancer free! Take a look at how she’s grown! So proud of you, Briley, for all you do to make the world a better place!
Much love,
Lynne Dale
President
Team Summer
This is the remarkable group of Team Summer supporters whose generosity created our Challenge Fund. I am grateful beyond words!
HawkPartners
Specialty Center for Periodontics and Dental Implants
Jennifer Barnes
Holly and George Batchelor
Elizabeth and Frank Blake
Tracy Carusi
Jan and Avery DeLong
Melissa Demetrops
Robert and Janet Dobson
Linton and Priscilla Hopkins
Jeri Moran and Shaun Rawls
Nancy Neufer
Jeff and Betsy Sherry
