Brave Gowns

10/16/2025

Please join us in sending extra love and prayers for brave Levi as he heads into his transplant appointment next week. After a whirlwind of unexpected tests and ER visits, we’re so grateful he’s okay—and we’re wrapping him in all the courage, calm, and healing energy possible for next week. We bet he sure looks adorable in his new glasses!❤️⚡️

Levi went to the eye specialist yesterday… and the verdict? Just glasses. 🤓

The frustrating part: the specialist had no idea why we were even there, and we went through a bunch of tests that, in hindsight, weren’t necessary at all. I always left his appointments with more questions than answers, so this just adds to my frustration! Needless to say, we won’t be returning to that office. Lesson learned: always trust your gut!

Speaking of trusting your gut… Levi had developed a little “habit” a couple of weeks ago where he’d randomly take a deep breath. At first, we thought it was just because his nose was a bit congested, and honestly, he seemed fine otherwise—vitals all normal, no struggle at all. But over the week, it started happening more often, so I reached out to the team. They thought it could just be a habit—even though his nose wasn’t stuffy anymore.

Well, last night at hockey practice, that “habit” turned into something much scarier. After only about 10 minutes on the ice, Levi was gasping for air every 20-30 seconds. I was freaked out and took him off the ice. A few minutes later, he was fine—but I knew this wasn’t normal. He’s been skating for years and has never done this before.

We headed to the ER downtown first thing this morning. After two failed IVs, a blown IV, numerous tests, and some gross pedialyte… the verdict? No explanation. Every serious thing they could check came back normal. They think it might have been related to a virus he possibly had—but who knows!? Only Levi could pull off something like this!🤦‍♀️ We’re so happy and thankful it’s nothing serious but I hate things that have no explanation. I think our anxiety has developed anxiety at this point with everything Levi throws at us. 🤣🤦‍♀️

Next stop: Routine transplant appt next week. ✅

Thank you for all the kind words, prayers, and positivity coming our way! This month has turned into a very long medical month. 😕

10/14/2025

✨ Why I believe there’s more than just here ✨

Ever since the day Mac died, I’ve seen 11:11 twice a day — every single day. I know this is his way of showing me that he’s still here, just in a different form.

The morning of, October 14th at 7:19am, I asked for a sign that everything would be okay. I turned on my old clock radio for a little background noise, and there it was — 11:11 glowing back at me, right next to my birthday (2/23).

It’s moments like these that remind me that love doesn’t end. It changes form, but it never leaves. And I know deep down, it’s God and Mac’s way of saying, “I’m still with you. Keep going.”

If you ever need a sign, just ask for it and believe. 💛

10/08/2025

Meet William — a brave 4-year-old who lights up every room he’s in. William is going through treatment for Noonan Syndrome PPP1CB, Epilepsy, Autism, fluid on the brain, G.I. challenges, joint issues, Kawasaki’s, developmental delays, and more. He’s in and out of the hospital often and continues to face surgeries with incredible courage. ♥️

William just brings the biggest smile to our face everytime see him in a Brave Gown! Today, he’s in his brand-new firefighter Brave Gown — a gift made possible by sponsors who want kids like William to feel comfort, joy, and a spark of bravery while they fight big battles.
Every gown you sponsor brings hope and happiness to a child who needs it most. 🚒

We are so thankful to William’s mom for sending over his pictures and her kindness. She works at a children’s hospital is a big Brave Gowns advocate!

10/06/2025

Please send all the good vibes for Zoe’s surgery to go as smoothly as possible. She is brave and ready! 🙌

From Zoe’s mom:
Zoe is ready for her Tubie surgery. They will be taking her current tube out and going in with a scope. They are seeing if they can find a pocket of infection hanging out. If they do, they will clean it out. There is a possibility they will have to move her tube to a new location. That is worst case scenario that we hope doesn’t happen. This is all in hopes she doesn’t get another abscess. All the good vibes welcome!!

10/03/2025

Do you love Halloween and making other kids smile? Here’s your chance! 🧡🖤

Costumes are fun, but Brave Gowns let kids with even the most sensitive skin dress up and stay comfortable — even when they’re not feeling their best, which is why we love bringing the magic of Halloween to hospitals.

Help us design a spooky-fun Brave Gown for kids who will be spending Halloween in the hospital this year.🏥

🧛‍♀️🧹Think: friendly ghosts, silly monsters, candy corn rainbows, dancing pumpkins — whatever makes it boo-tiful and bright! And even a little scary for the older kids!

🖍️ How to join:
1️⃣ Grab some crayons, markers, or your tablet.
2️⃣ Create a Halloween Brave Gown that you’d like to wear— scary-cute or sweetly spooky.
3️⃣ Ask a grown-up to snap a pic & tag (or DM it to us).
Your fun design could help bring comfort, courage & Halloween fun to kids who need it most. 👻

🎃Let’s fill hospitals with magic, bravery & just the right amount of spooky!

10/03/2025

💛 In the midst of their hardest moments, Kendra, Brielle and their incredible family chose to help and give.

While navigating pediatric cancer, a journey no family ever wants to walk — they knew I needed help and jumped in. They set a goal to raise 2,000 Brave Gowns for Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month… and together with their followers, they didn’t just meet it — they raised nearly 3,000 gowns! ✨

While I would never wish cancer on anyone, there is a bittersweet beauty in this community: it introduces you to extraordinary families and children. Families who, even while fighting their own battles, find the strength to make hospitals a little less scary, a little more comfortable, and a lot more full of hope for other kids.

Because of Brielle and her family’s courage and compassion — and every single person who donated — thousands more children will have a gown that feels like them, a small comfort on some of the hardest days of their lives. 🌟

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for showing up, for giving, and for proving that even in the darkest moments, love and kindness shine the brightest. 💛

Please continue to pray for their family and Brielle’s miracle. Their hearts are so pure and filled with so much goodness. We love you, Bird family. Together We Fight🙏

10/01/2025

I was never graceful while pregnant, but Mac was always the proudest uncle. He was five when my son was born and loved Ryder the minute he saw him. He lasted about ten minutes in the hospital before he hit the nurse button about ten times — he was not cut out for hospital life. A bull in a china shop.
Never did we think the next time we’d walk through the doors of a hospital would be four years later, when he was diagnosed with AML and ALL. He had a 1% chance of beating the cancer. At the time, there was only one other known case of what they called “biphenotypic acute leukemia.” The day we were discharged — the morning he died — he was cancer free. He was the 1% that beat it. But he died at discharge due to a medical error during dialysis.
He died while I was pregnant, but not before telling me how much he wanted our daughter to be named Ocean. I said there wasn’t a chance I’d be Summer with a daughter named Ocean. Well, four months later, I gave birth to our daughter — Ocean. People love our names and always get a kick out of it when they first meet us, as if we made it up. It’s been twenty-two years of telling this story on repeat when people ask.
I’m so glad we named her Ocean and gave Mac a chance to be part of her story. I’m pretty sure he hand-picked her for us in heaven, because she was exactly what our hearts needed.

You can see in his little face how much he loved our little family. You can see through Brave Gowns, how much we loved him. I will never know how people can come face to face with pediatric cancer and not fight with all they have for the next family fighting it. I’m sure it’s survival, but by helping, is the only way I know how to survive.

It’s the last day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, but tomorrow, I will begin again.💛

09/30/2025

We can’t thank Liam’s mom, Lisa , enough for such a kind post. We meet families in their hardest moments. So, when people take the time to send messages, it’s even more meaningful. We hope Liam feels so brave and loved in his Brave Gown.❤️

“Liam is so lucky to wear a Brave Gown, and I’m so grateful. In his Brave Gown he feels seen, courageous—and safe. It’s not just a super soft gown. It’s a message: you are brave and Strong!
Summer, thank you for turning your pain and love into something so beautiful and healing. You’ve given Liam, and so many other children, more than just a gown — you’ve given them empowerment, comfort, and hope.

To anyone reading: please join me in thanking Summer and supporting Brave Gowns. Every child deserves to feel brave and cared for — and in a Brave Gown, they truly do.❤️”

09/29/2025

I know I’ve shared this before, but this past week I started asking Mac for signs again. For twenty-two years, I saw them almost daily. But this year has been so heavy that I forgot I could still talk to him — and ask him to show me he’s here. The moment I started asking, the signs poured in.
Just now, a single crane stood outside my window and stared at me. It instantly took me back to the day I asked Mac to send ducks — and then an unbelievable number of ducks showed up. It couldn’t have been mistaken.
When Mac died, his oncologist, Dr. Kletzel, pulled me aside and said:
“I know Mac’s love for you. I want you to know that he’ll still be everywhere. I’ve been in oncology a long time — the kids never leave me. Their energy is always here. They just change form. Their bodies are only the vehicle they drive while they’re here. The body gets weak, but their soul doesn’t. You will feel his energy all around you — in goosebumps, in the moments you wonder if it’s really him. Know that it is.”
He was right. I learned never to doubt it. Now, when the signs come — cranes, ducks, peacock, the number 11, a dime and a penny everywhere, goosebumps — I just smile and say, “Hi, Mac.”💛

09/28/2025

Cutie Zoe has vomited nine times in the last few hours, yet she still wanted to help write a post to advocate for Brave Gowns. She’s been wearing them for years. It’s fun to send her new ones — she always makes us smile. Today she described them as “high quality,” which sums her up perfectly. She’s so smart and feisty. We hope she’s back home soon. 💛✨

“I love my Brave Gown so much. I’m so brave when I wear them. They are so much more comfortable and high quality than the hospital’s scratchy gowns.”

09/25/2025

The reality of childhood cancer…

The photo that once sat in the frame by my kitchen window was of my brother’s little face. I still keep the frame there as a reminder, but the picture has faded — disintegrated over time. It is gone. What remains is the love I have for him and the purpose he left me with: to fight, to raise awareness, and to help medical families facing the unimaginable.

This month has felt unbearably heavy — so much loss, so many kids relapsing, so many parents living in quiet, everyday fear. Yet every day, I also see people choosing to do good, to show up, to make a difference.

We need to keep going. We need to band together. We need to get louder — for kids, for cures, for hope.

I pray for renewed strength, for hope that doesn’t run out, and for the courage to keep believing that together we can change the story for families fighting childhood cancer. I wish this journey on no no family or child, yet I would never give back the purpose embedded in my soul. It makes you appreciate every moment, every day and every breath.

I may have been quiet on social media this month, but behind the scenes I’ve been pouring my energy into making an impact wherever and however I can. Thank you for your kindness and support always.💛

07/03/2025

Can we help Addi rally? She’s so close to her goal! ♥️🙌

💔 FINAL CALL for BRAVE GOWN DONATIONS

This is it, friends…The last post you will see asking for Brave Gowns and Addi's final chance to give as many gowns as possible to kids in the hospital! She is sad but determined to give as many as possible ONE LAST TIME!

Brave Gowns is officially closing, and yes, today is your LAST chance to support Addi’s final Brave Gown Mission.

For every child who found strength in a gown…
For every parent who found peace in the chaos…
For Addi—and every warrior like her—let’s finish strong.

🎗️ Donate a gown. Share this post.
Let’s show these brave kids that someone cares!

Thank you for being a part of Addi’s army. You’ve made a difference in her journey and so many other children in their journey when you donated a gown and brought them a smile and comfort during their foght.

💛 Let’s do this—one last time for Addi, for kids everywhere fighting their own health battle, and in memory of Mac....Summer's brother and the reason Brave Gowns was founded!

Thank you all for your support and love!

👇 Donation details in the comments!

Much love ~