Evan is one of the kindest and bravest souls I know. He’s a lot like his father in many ways. Imaginative, stubborn and fiercely loyal. When Evan was 5 years old he asked me if I was going to die from cancer. Up to that point we talked in whispers around him. We didn’t want to ruin his childhood with my illness. We should have known better than to hide anything from him.

Cancer is a really crappy hand to be dealt at any age. To be dealt that hand as a child is something I will never understand. Evan’s hand is different. He is behind me looking over my shoulder at my crappy hand. He can’t play the cards for me. He has to simply sit there with Chris and watch me try and play this till the end of the game. Frustration. Helplessness. Fear. Depression. Imagine those feelings as a child. As a 7 year old little boy. Most days he is a happy kid. Other days he looks at me like I might blow away and never return. Just today he said to me “I don’t want you to die mom.” Me neither buddy.

A number of months ago our cousin Kevin was in Sister Bay at the same time as a woman named Mary was. They met by chance over a game of dice and started talking about Mary’s journey. Mary is a child of cancer too. Her mother passed away from cancer a little over 3 years ago. Since then she’s been traveling the nation in her moms Subaru looking and spreading More Good. https://www.moregood.today/

A tourist of humanity, Mary is meeting people that spread good and many of them have stories regarding those they lost to cancer. We got to meet Mary in her journey after Kevin sent her our way. (See that story under Tourist of Humanity) She in turn introduced us to Cooper and his beautiful mother Joelle. Cooper is an incredible young man who lost his grandmother to cancer. He turned his grief into a mission to bring joy. Cooper wanted to make every child who has been touched by cancer smile. https://www.gofundme.com/f/cooperscampaign

Through his campaign he has raised money to send children and their families on trips, buy Christmas presents and simply bring joy to their lives. Mary talked to Cooper about Evan and his strength in supporting me. We then received a call from Joelle and Cooper asking if they could help bring a smile to his face.

Evan decided that he wanted to go to Mall of America to see the aquarium and go to Legoland. Cooper began to set things in motion. The first sign of kindness came from our friends B and T. We received an unexpected donation with a card that simply said to use to make Evan smile. After I was done bawling and blubbering to our friends, I called Joelle and Cooper. Letting them know we were all set. Cooper said he wasn’t done fundraising. Needless to say within another few weeks I was a blubbering mess again. The kindness and generosity from all was humbling.

This weekend was our trip.

Our weekend was filled with legos, 10,000 types of marine life, food and friends. We would not have been able to put a smile on Es face without the kindness of B, T, Cooper and so many donors. God placed Mary in that pub with Kevin and then in our lives. He then used her to guide us to Cooper and his Mom. When we talk about spreading more good each one of you has the capacity to be a Mary or a Cooper or a B or T. They don’t ask for praise or accolades. They don’t do it for a pat on the back. They do it because they realize the capacity we have as humans to truly be good people. Cancer sucks. But my God does ever bring people together.

Thank you to all involved to make Es weekend a success as well as bring a smile to his face. Cooper, you will forever hold a special place in our hearts. I encourage everyone to donate to Coopers Campaign. He texted me this weekend that there is another family in need of a smile. For a weekend E could forget about cancer and just be a kid. Please find it in your hearts to do the same for another child.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/cooperscampaign