Daley Ponderings

Next week is Grace's third birthday, for which we are exceptionally grateful.

I know that there are a lot of people out there who love Grace and would probably like to do something for her birthday.  She has all the physical things she could need or want, so prayers would be the number one birthday present we can ask for.  For those who feel led to provide something physical, I thought I'd share a list of organizations that have helped us and Grace through this last year or so. People have been so generous to us. Most of these organizations provide their services to cancer kids and their families for free.

On Belay organizes physical activities that are free for kids impacted by a loved one's cancer. Our kids have gone indoor climbing, ropes course climbing, kayaking, horseback riding, surfing, mountain biking, camping, and hiking. They always have fun and they appreciate the usually unspoken camraderie with kids in similar hard situations. on-belay.org

NEGU Never Ever Give Up. This organization was founded by a girl who had a terminal brain tumor. She wanted to spread joy to her fellows and give a Joy Jar full of goodies to every child diagnosed with cancer. The organization has now grown so that they give Joy Jar subscriptions to the children and their families. Every month, Grace gets a jar with a book, crayons, coloring book, stuffed animal, and other toys. She loves her Joy Jars and is so excited when a new one comes. They also have given us all tshirts, a beach towel, a blanket, a popcorn bowl with popcorn, and numerous other goodies. One month, they included the book Jessie's dad wrote about her life, which was powerful. I certainly cried hard, but it has such a hopeful theme even while dealing with all the hard questions of life, death, and terminal illness in a child. negu.org

David's House I have written about before and our t-shirt fundraiser goes to them. (Update on that coming soon!)  We stayed there during Grace's first hospitalization at Dartmouth and for part of her second round of initial chemo. https://davids-house.org/

Luke's fastbreaks: Luke is a childhood cancer survivor. He didn't like how demeaning it was to wear hospital gowns, and so he designed special hospital shirts for pediatric cancer patients. They come in a variety of bright colors with fun designs, and they snap completely apart. You can mix and match fronts and backs if you want, but the really wonderful thing about the snaps is that you can change your shirt even when you have to be connected to a pole for days on end. These were a staple during Grace's Boston hospitalization. https://lukesfastbreaks.org/

1 mission provides the fun on the children's cancer floor. Activities, holiday celebrations, prizes, caregiver meals. They keep the resource room stocked with information and snacks. onemission.org

Childhood Cancer Lifeline, founded in our town by local people. They provide support and love. Grace got a bag of goodies, and we have gotten several gas cards. They also have a summer camp that we were unable to go to because we already have our summers booked full. https://childhoodcancerlifeline.org/

SD Smith, author of the inspiring Green Ember series. When I told him that "My place beside you, my blood for yours..." has new meaning for Faith, Grace, and our family, he set up a live meeting with us and sent us a box of Green Ember goodies. https://sdsmith.com/

Hospitality Homes, provided a lovely apartment in Boston, within walking distance of the hospital, for a significantly reduced rate. https://hosp.org/

CHaD https://childrens.dartmouth-health.org/donate

Boston Children's https://www.childrenshospital.org/

Dana Farber Cancer Institute - their resource room linked us to many of the above. https://www.dana-farber.org/