NEWS AND EVENTS
Visit To Birmingham
August 2010
Whew! We have been busy these last few weeks! Summer vacation? More like time to get things done! Most recently, Gabe paid a visit to the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. Gabe met with children and handed out copies of the first Chemo Duck “Soup-A-Hero” cartoon that became available last month. One of the primary reasons Chemo Duck was created was to help educate and entertain children in the hospital setting. We’re happy to have seen Chemo Duck in action and met face to face with the children of Alabama!
Gabe personally met with children in the in-patient ward to hand out Chemo Duck gift packs and cookies. Surely it meant a lot to the kids to meet a fellow survivor who is also a peer. Now, a healthy third grader, Gabe is encouraging others and bringing hope to children and parents alike. What an inspirational little guy.
The event was supported by the Hoar Construction / BE&K Building Group Joint Venture who are the general contractors currently in the process of building the New Children’s Hospital Expansion in Birmingham, AL. It is scheduled to open in the Summer of 2012. BE&K Building Group sponsored Chemo Ducks for Birmingham Children’s Hospital in 2009 and is excited to continue sponsoring the program as the Children's Joint Venture with Hoar Construction. We thank them for their support and will continue sending Chemo Ducks to Birmingham Children’s Hospital to comfort children there, as well as across the country.
Playing By Air
August 2010
Earlier in the month, July 17th and 18th, over 25 nonprofit organizations joined forces to create awareness for the cancer support programs available to the Nashville community. The event was hosted by Playing By Air Productions at the Nashville Children's Theatre. This event marks one of the largest gatherings of local cancer support organizations in recent history.
This past April, the Playing By Air Jugglers appeared at the Pay it Forward Festival in Spring Hill, TN, in support of Gabe’s My Heart. The great success of this event lead to Gabe’s My Heart participation in the Playing By Air event in July.
Playing By Air's performances bring families and communities together through shared laughter and inspiration. They are committed to building partnerships with the organizations that offer support to these families living with cancer every day. In addition to attending the performance, representatives from these groups are invited to create awareness for their programs in the theater lobby. The event offered an opportunity for local organizations to develop new relationships with local families and fellow community partners.
Guests enjoyed Playing By Air’s self-titled production of juggling, music, and physical comedy. In addition, attendees enjoyed lobby exhibits by each nonprofit, along with free portraits for cancer survivors by Martin O’Connor Photography. The event was a great success with over 780 people in attendance.
Cool People Care
August 2010
We would like to say another big thank you to Independence High School in Spring Hill TN, for hosting a "Gabe's Goodies" Ice Cream Social. Teams
competed against each other to raise the most money from their ice cream
booth. The winning team was called "Everyday's a Sundae" and made a profit
of $120 for Gabe's My Heart. The senior class raised over $800. Students had a blast raising money for such a great cause. Several businesses donated items for the sale including: Kroger, Publix, Ben & Jerry's, Baskin Robbins, ColdStone Creamery, Sonic and Burger King, so thanks to them too!
Lauren
August 2010
Another amazing person with cancer has shared her story and helped Gabe’s My Heart, and we’d like to tell you about her.
In December 2003, Lauren was five years old. She was a vibrant kindergartener and a wonderful big sister to her little sister Kristen.
A persistent runny nose that appeared at first to be sinus infection turned out to be a tumor growing into her sinus cavity. Lauren was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma.
Although Lauren’s nine month ordeal proved to be very trying for the whole family, it has brought them all closer. Together they face the side effects of her treatment and count their blessings. Lauren and her Mom, Jennifer, have written a book together to serve as an inspiration to other children who are battling cancer and other diseases. Lauren hopes her book will encourage and educate children of newly diagnosed families.
Lauren recognized that, like her book, Chemo Duck encourages kids living with cancer. She helps out with Gabe’s Chemo Duck program in many ways. Recently she donated funds from the sale of her book Lauren’s Story to the Chemo Duck program and she is part of the amazing team that re-packs and ships the Chemo Ducks out to hospitals.
Like Gabe, Lauren has turned a terrible disease into a beautiful way to help others. You can purchase Lauren’s book by visiting Barnes and Noble