Gift Stories

Four-year-old Colton was always a big, strong kid. He earned the nickname “Tank” because everyone thought he was built like one! Tanks are indestructible, right? We wish. Earlier this year, Tank’s parents noticed him becoming short of breath when he ran and continuously clearing his throat. Doctors prescribed steroids, which helped for awhile…and then not…

Being a kid with cancer is bad enough. Being a kid with cancer during Covid times is even worse. And little Zoe – 3 years old – was diagnosed with leukemia right as the pandemic hit.  All kids with cancer face isolation, but this was different. Outside of her immediate family, Zoe could not be…

Two years ago, Charlie was a fearless little boy who loved to run, jump, and play! His family noticed some bruises, and he started having random nosebleeds. But everyone thought it was because he was so active. Then things got worse on his 6th birthday. He had a fever and other symptoms of the flu….

Back in 2017 when Kyler was just three years old, he started having low grade fevers and complained of a bad pain in his leg. His pediatrician thought maybe it was juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Then two days before Thanksgiving, a bone marrow biopsy showed Kyler had cancer – leukemia. Three days later, chemo started. Gives…

Here’s a gift received in the before-time! Before Covid-19, that is. That explains the proximity of the kids and the lack of masks… Meet 7-year-old Kendell! He’s what you call a daredevil. Jumps, runs, and races like he’s already grown. You know the kind – the kind who scares his mother half to death! But…

This is the story of Team Summer kid named Briley who has done something amazing! Some Team Summer kids just stand out. Take Kayla for example. She became a Team Summer kid when she was 11 years old. She gave 12 Team Summer gifts over a three-year period…all while battling a brain tumor. That was…

Seventeen-year-old Trevor is a sports guy! Baseball’s his favorite, and he played as much of it as he could in high school, excelling as a starting pitcher and first baseman. That is, until some weird symptoms began to plague him: fatigue, fevers, lightheadedness. His coaches said they thought he looked pale. Even before his doctors…

For Amanda, life was pretty normal until last year. You know, the usual – the fun of being a junior in high school, hanging out with her friends. So normal you don’t even know it’s normal. Then the pain started in her knee. And it just got worse. An MRI told the story – Amanda…

It should have been nothing more than a slip and fall for 10-year-old Landon. Sure, it hurt – he landed right on his tailbone – but that should have been the end of it. Except it wasn’t. Instead of getting better, Landon got worse – to the point where he was having trouble getting up…

TEAM SUMMER IS ADAPTING! We will not let a virus stop us!! COVID-19 has affected all of us in so many ways. As you might imagine, adapting to a new normal at Team Summer has been especially challenging. Chemotherapy is designed to suppress our kids’ immune systems, making them among the most susceptible to the virus….