"Excuse Me!" Which way to the Zoo?" Squish squeaked as he popped out of the box and looked around and he smiled and giggled loudly. We played this game frequently since reading his new book together. The warm sun peeked in on his bald head, through the sliding glass window from our balcony. This is my favorite memory of our sweet boy while living at Brent's place (www.brentsplace.org) in the summer of 2019.
It's July, Squish was just over 2.5 years old, 1 week into remission from his new diagnosis of stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, and 3 months into a 20-year-old chemotherapy treatment plan designed for adults. Our family of 5 had just been upheaved in what felt like the middle of the night, our minds and hearts still racing from that initial ER visit back in April and us still not even able to wrap our minds around being in a 2 bedroom apartment with 3 boys 12 hours from home.
We all cherished the escape and adventures new stories brought us. They ignited all of our imaginations and allowed us to be silly in between the "not-so" moments. Squish's love for stories was beyond compare and he always dreamed of going to school to one day learn to read the stories for himself.
It is our wish to work together to provide books for the families checking into Brent's Place so that these families can also share in Squish's love of stories and adventure.
Last year, we were able to gift Brent's Place with just over $3,000 worth of Usborne Books and More titles. This year our goal is to do at least the same.
*All donations will go towards purchasing books for Brent's Place to distribute to their famililes. The rep sales commission from Usborne Books and More will then be presented to Squish's memorial research fund for Rhabdomyosarcoma through the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation (https://nationalpcf.org/programs/diy/donate-in-memory-of-squish/)
Brent's Place's Mission:
Brent's Place is a long-term home away from home for children and families with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses while they receive treatment at local hospitals.
In addition to Safe-Clean housing, we also provide a variety of uniquely-tailored programs and services for the entire family designed to help in the healing process.
