Charlotte's Journey

F or all of you who have loved and cared for our family over the last 5 years while we helped Charlotte battle her cancer, we are proud to share with you our special news! Brian and I have started Be The Rainbow Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, focusing on supporting families facing childhood cancer. We are so blessed to be in the space and time to give back and help in any way we can. And as always, we are so grateful to have all of you with us, helping to truly make a different for families facing the unimaginable. Stay tuned for more information as we begin and kick off Be The Rainbow Foundation! For now, like us on Facebook @betherainbow.org, and visit our website www.betherainbow.org to follow our work and to donate! Thanks for sharing and helping us grow our village! (feel free to share the donation page as well https://betherainbow.networkforgood.com/ ) Thank you GOD for this day, this season, this opportunity, and all the things yet to come.

Today is International Childhood Cancer Day. I wanted to reach back to where we were during treatment during this week as compared to where Charlotte is today. 5 years ago, we were in Philadelphia for radiation treatment where she would undergo anesthesia daily for a month of proton beam therapy. Aside from being away from our home and family, it was the easiest phase of treatment. Imagine that. Imagine this being the easiest part—living in an unfamiliar city, away from your home and family, being put to sleep daily for 4 weeks so that a beam of radiation would target the correct spots. But back then her dreams were heartbreakingly simple. She dreamed of not having to have anymore “medicine” for her cancer, of going home, of going to school with her siblings and friends, of not hurting and feeling sick anymore. Today, her dreams are still simple like an 8 year olds should be, but they are bigger too. She dreams of a future beyond the world of cancer as she understood it. What if we cou