A Superhero's Journey

02/09/2024

Alright you guys! It’s SEPTEMBER, so you know what that means….it’s childhood cancer awareness month!

AND … OUR 4th ANNUAL BANDAID DRIVE!

“ELI AND AUSTIN’S BANDAGES FOR BRAVE KIDS”
🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️

As most of you already know our story, and Eli’s journey with leukemia, this is a way our family gives back to , the place that saved our sons life. By collecting and donating band-aids in Eli’s honor. As you have seen over the past couple of years, this has not only been very impactful for kids in cancer treatment, but also such a fun and rewarding thing for our family to do as well!

The why: As most parents know, a cool band-aid can be a game changer. It can change the entire dynamic of the potentially very scary situation to something they can be proud of and show off their bravery in the aftermath of anxiety and pain. Band-aids mean A LOT to Eli! Even being given the choice of which “cool” band-aid he wants before his blood draws, helps remove a lot of the anxiety for him, and when he gets home it is the first thing he shows off so very proudly!

The numbers: The first year we raised roughly 37,000 band aids and the following two years it was roughly 50,000 each year! 🩹🩹🩹🩹

The plan: For the month of September we will be collecting “cool” band-aids for Randall Children’s Hospital Oncology floor, but we have been told that the amount we collect each year covers the rest of the hospital floors for the ENTIRE year as well! How cool is that?!?

So, will you help us get the highest number of bandaids thus far! Let’s help Eli and Austin flood Randall Childre’s Hospital with so many cool band-aids every kid gets an awesome band-aid choice!
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Attached is an Amazon wishlist with band-aids that Eli and Austin hand picked as “cool ones,” these will be shipped to our house, then we will count them up and deliver them to Randall’s.

Click here:⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3QG30CDYE2IHV?ref_=wl_share

Thank you all for your support as always! We are so fortunate to be surrounded by the most amazing and generous people that make walking the dark path of childhood cancer a little bit brighter!

Attached is this years 4th annual band-aid drive video featuring little brother Austin, as well as the previous 3 years videos! 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

02/09/2023

Alright you guys! It’s SEPTEMBER, so you know what that means….it’s childhood cancer awareness month!

AND … OUR 3RD ANNUAL BANDAID DRIVE!

“ELI’S BANDAGES FOR BRAVE KIDS”
🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️🎗️

As most of you already know our story, and Eli’s journey with leukemia, this is a way our family gives back to , the place that saved our sons life. By collecting and donating bandaids in Eli’s honor. As you have seen over the past couple of years, this has been such a fun and rewarding thing for our family to do.

The why: As most parents know, a cool band-aid can be a game changer. It can change the entire dynamic of the potentially very scary situation to something they can be proud of and show off their bravery in the aftermath of anxiety and pain. Band-aids mean A LOT to Eli! Even being given the choice of which band-aid he wants before his blood draws, helps remove a lot of the anxiety for him. And when we he gets home it is the first thing he shows off so very proudly!

The numbers: The first year we raised 37,247 bandaids and the second year we raised 56,880!!!! 😮

The plan: For the month of September we will be collecting “cool” band-aids for Randall’s children’s Oncology floor, but hoping to collect enough to spread to the other floors as well!

So, will you help Eli beat last years number!?! Let’s help Eli flood Randall’s with so many cool band-aids every kid gets an awesome band-aid choice!
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Attached is an Amazon wishlist with bandaids that Eli hand picked as “cool ones,” these will be shipped to our house, then we will count them up and deliver them to Randall’s.

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3QG30CDYE2IHV?ref_=wl_share

Thank you all for your support as always! We are so fortunate to be surrounded by the most amazing and generous people that make walking the dark path of childhood cancer a little bit brighter!

19/11/2022

Between sickness and life it has taken us a little longer for the big bandaid delivery to Randall Children’s Hospital this year... You guys, guess what?!? You made Eli’s wish come true. 🤩 Last years bandaid total was 37,247 and this years total………(insert drum roll) ………56,880!!!!

Holy moly, you guys!!!!!! 🧡This will fix so many ouchies and turn very scary situations into something to be proud of, and show off their bravery in the aftermath of anxiety and pain. Bandaid choices are powerful! We know this first hand.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! This really does mean so much, to so many kiddos! Until next year, enjoy these happy little boys swimming in bandages, and making their bandaid delivery to the hospital.

On a side note, thank you for also helping me teach my boys about the amazing gift of working hard, giving back, and helping others even through our own life challenges. Hopefully someday when they are older we will be out of the picture and they will take on the “bravery bandage drive” all by themselves. 🧡💙

We have the most amazing people in our lives supporting us and rooting us on alway. We are so grateful!

07/09/2022

We are off to a great start! Thank you all for donating to “ELI’S BANDAGES FOR BRAVE KIDS” bandied drive! This bring our family so much joy but no one is more excited then Eli! He checks the door multiple times a day for bandaid packages. 🧡

Help Eli reach his goal of doubling the amount of bandages we collected last year!

Eli’s wishlist(Which will automatically ship to us) ⬇️

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3QG30CDYE2IHV?ref_=wl_share

01/09/2022

WILL YOU HELP US WITH OUR SECOND ANNUAL BAND-AID DRIVE?!?!?
🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛

This year we are renaming it “ELI’S BANDAGES FOR BRAVE KIDS!” 🧡🙌🏻

Last year we collected 37,247 bandages for kids at Randall Children’s Hospital! 675 boxes total! This amount has lasted them the entire year! 🙌🏻This year we are hoping to double it, and provide enough bandages for another childrens hospital in our area!

WITH YOUR HELP WE THINK THIS IS VERY POSSIBLE! 🧡🙌🏻

September is childhood cancer awareness month! This is the reason we have chosen to do our drive now. We plan on doing this every September in honor of Eli’s journey.
💛 💛💛💛💛💛 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

The month of September is a very important in the pediatric cancer world. A month to raise awareness about the unacceptable amount of funding given to pediatric cancer research and to give back. We can do better! This is OUR better! Will you help us?🧡

As most parents know, a cool bandage can be a game changer. It can change the entire dynamic of the potentially very scary situation to something they can be proud of and show off their bravery in the aftermath of anxiety and pain. Bandages mean A LOT to Eli! Even being given the choice of which bandage he wants before he gets his port deaccessed helps remove a lot of the fear and anxiety for him. And when we gets home it is the first thing he shows off so very proudly!

Will you help Eli flood Randall Children’s Hospital and hopefully another hospital with so many cool bandages so that every brave kid gets a awesome bandage choice!
🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Attached is “Amazon wishlist” of bandages that Eli specially made for brave kids, that can be purchased and will be sent to our house. At the end of September we will count and hopefully bring a truck load of bandages to Randall’s!

Also please share….for a few dollars this can change the way a kid views their hospital experience, and we are so happy we can help even just a little bit with this!

🧡💛Thank you all for your support as always! We are so fortunate to be surrounded by the most amazing and generous people that make walking this dark path a little brighter! 🧡💛

Eli’s bandages for brave kids wishlist:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3QG30CDYE2IHV?ref_=wl_share

25/08/2022

Tomorrow is the big day. Port removal day. 🧡
Thinking about this day has been very difficult for Eli. He has been having terrible nightmares. So much….. too much for a 6 year old to have to understand and process. There is a lot of fear thinking about something that has been apart of him for so long now (since before he can even remember) being “ taken” from his body. To Eli it “IS” part of him and his body, and that’s a very scary concept for him to think about or understand.

On the other hand, he is excited to be able to do a few things he can’t do with his port in. The first things he says he wants to do is go down the slide on his belly, play soccer, and go in a hot tub.

Tonight we thanked his port for everything it has done for him, and said goodnight to his “Ironman port” for the last night.

“”Ironman port,” thank you from the bottom of my ours hearts for saving our little boy. Saving his life. We are eternally grateful. “ -Mom and Dad (and brother)🧡🎗

If you have any extra good vibes please send them our way. We all could use a few extra tomorrow. 🧡

14/08/2022

16/07/2022

One week. 7 days…. That’s it. The end. “Grief is like living two lives. One is where you pretend that everything is alright, and the other is where your heart silently screams in pain.” The rollercoaster of emotions we have felt as we near Eli’s end of treatment has been too much. To much to shoulder. To much to explain. This is the day we have been waiting for for over two years. I didn’t expect to feel anything but pure joy and excitement. Although I do feel those things, there is so much more to it. 1 in 12. That’s the odds of him relapsing. Although I try not to think of that ever. It is a very big reality we have to swallow and carry. Next Friday. We stop chemo. Stop treatment and hope for the best. That is terrifying. I haven’t slept in days. For two years we have been fighting and killing the hell out of cancer, then we just stop. (Exhale)I’m so grateful for treatment and I’m also so scared of the rug being pulled out from under us again…… a lot of our grief feels so much like fear. Very real fear that has happened, and could happen again. That is a very tough feeling to walk with, almost paralyzing. But……with that said, here’s to doing our best to live a long and beautiful life in spite of all this brokenness. 🧡