On Tuesday, December 12th, Chase turns 14! Isn’t that a miracle?!
This year, he (again) had a request: his birthday fundraiser be equally divided between Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation. But there’s also a little extra, a special 14th birthday nod to his friend Robbie Gould’s new partnership with Cal’s Angels. In honor of Chase, we will also be raising a separate $500 going to Cal’s Angels in order to help grant a wish for another child like Chase.
We can’t think of a more fitting plan! Lurie has gifted Chase life more times than we can count, the Rizzo Foundation has instilled more hope, and Cal’s has brought more joy – Life, Hope, and Joy – all together.
Would you consider donating here? You can give $14 for Chase’s 14 years (or a multiple of 14…or more!).
Every dollar counts, and this year, it feels like it counts double…no, triple! …as the dollars will go to help a child like Chase and a family like ours – often in their most stressful, heartbreaking moments – in the home with Cal’s, in the hospital with Lurie, and around the country with The Rizzo Foundation.
With your help, we can contribute to research, resources, and encouragement for so many children like Chase.
Wish: /wiSH/ noun – “a desire or hope for something to happen“
Before Chase had cancer, I saw the role of wish-granting organizations as that of giving an extra special gift to a person going through an extra horrible season. And that is a true perspective, but it’s also only a part.
For, the farther into and through the cancer journey we travel, the more I come to see wish-granting as a way to be known. The wish is often fantastic and above and beyond the every day, but the heart of it says this:
“I see you. You are known. What you are going through takes extra from you, and so here is some extra back, oh, and by the way, you’re pretty awesome and we’re only too happy to make much of your bravery in the ways that we can.”
Last week, Cal’s Angels, a local childhood cancer organization, partnered with the incredible Abt Electronics, one of the largest independent retailers of electronics and appliances, to bring Chase and his siblings just such a wish. The heart of Chase in these days is feeling his “otherness”, so we talked with him and hatched a plan to let him, the frequent receiver, the all too often powerless one, become the strong giver as he presented gifts to all of his siblings. He was thrilled to be in charge. (shocking, right?)
Chase has had a tablet of some kind in his hands (generous and given always – oh, the stories I could tell you some day…) since the time he was first diagnosed, but last week, thanks to the generosity of Abt and the heart of Cal’s, Chase was able to put brand new iPads into the hands of his siblings. And their first group text to one another was from Chase:
“I love you so much.”
The electronics are a dream (Abt and Cal’s also gave Chase an amazing iPod touch with headphones for hard hospital days where the music calms his soul), the special dinner and tour of the Abt facility was breath-taking (Chase could have spent all night in the security room watching the wall of screened footage alone), but I think the true heart of the loveliness was this:
Each of my children walked away from that night last week feeling better and more known; more secure in family and love. They were surrounded by Cal’s family, made new Abt family, and even solidified their ties with each other.
A wish is precious.
To feel known and loved is priceless.
**All our love and thanks to the Cal’s Angels family for seeing a need and meeting it, and special, incredible thanks to the Abt Electronics family for taking us in and being so awesome.**
For more information on the work of Cal’s Angels, click here.
For more information on Abt Electronics and to see their incredible facility, click here.
Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.
[Credit: Iron Gate Motor Condos]I’m not a car person.
Yes, I have had a favorite car in my life, I can recognize an expensive one when I see it, and I did the popular momentary cringe over our first mini van before wholeheartedly embracing the extra space — but I’m not a car person.
Until last week, that is…
For last week I stood on a red carpet and watched line after line of shiny, beautiful, cars I could not identify pull to a stop and load children with cancer into their perfect interiors, revving their engines and taking off with their tiny, precious cargo screaming joyfully – many of whom barely cleared the windowsills to see their route.
[Credit: Iron Gate Motor Condos]And then the organizers were on their radios, talking excitedly that “they were about a minute out” as a line of nearly 30 beautiful cars snaked up the long drive, all with “Ultimate Road Rally” magnets affixed to their doors and many with “We Rally for Sami” on their windshields – an homage to a dear brother, violently gone far too soon.
[Credit: Iron Gate Motor Condos]The rally drivers then joined the other drivers, each taking one child into the passenger seat and the child, eagerly clutching a rally map, helped the drivers earn more points before returning to the drop off. It’s hard to describe the beauty of drivers and organizers setting aside walking devices, helping parents adjust children out of wheelchairs, and then as the children exited the cars, their smiles were huge, their arms were laden with gifts, and I saw softness, joy, and even tears in the eyes of these tough drivers with their breath-taking cars. And how I wish you could see what I saw.
[Credit: Iron Gate Motor Condos]But perhaps my favorite memory of that day was the two brothers in the shiny black…I want to say a Mustang, but like I told you, I’m not a car person…can we just leave it that it was shiny and black and absolutely gorgeous?... Anyway, the two brothers, took two of my darling boy brothers out for a spin, as as they returned, I could see the tops of Aid and Chase’s heads and hear their laughter and joy. No doors opened to exit the boys, but one of their escorts simply stuck his head out the window with a giant grin and said; “They want to go again.” And with that, the car leapt forward with a roar out of the drive and I could hear Aidan laughing and Chase screaming “Go faster! I feel like I’m going to throw up! This is AWESOME!!”
And all those drivers? Well, besides giving my kids one of the best afternoons of their entire lives, they raised $30,000 for Cal’s Angels.
And me? Well, I’ll never see those beautiful cars the same way again. That day changed me a little. Now, even though I still can’t identify what I’m looking at on the outside, I see so much heart on the inside and it blesses me.
“I know Sami would have wanted us to do something special. We couldn’t save his life, but there were lots of kids’ and their families’ lives that we touched.” – Omar Salaymeh, Marketing Consultant at Chicago Motor Cars, Founder of Ultimate Road Rally, and Sami’s dear brother
**With gratitude to Cal’s Angels, Omar Salaymeh, Ultimate Road Rally, Iron Gate Motor Condos, and all the amazing drivers and workers who made this wonderful day possible**
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![[Credit: Iron Gate Motor Condos]](https://i0.wp.com/www.chaseawaycancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/13403949_1045987322147543_5877547215634708944_o-1024x732.jpg?resize=760%2C543)
![[Credit: Iron Gate Motor Condos]](https://i0.wp.com/www.chaseawaycancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/13422296_1047233905356218_1258784345025060391_o-1024x732.jpg?resize=760%2C543)
