Braelyn’s Smile ☺️
Do you have any moments in your life that you know you’ll remember forever? We definitely had one of those moments last weekend in Houston, TX. Before I tell you all about it, let me tell you a little bit about how we got there.
Earlier this year, I learned about a 5 year old cancer warrior from Trinity, Tx named Braelyn. I saw that Braelyn loved Disney, so I was so excited to get on a Zoom call with her mom Jessica to pitch the opportunity to have Braelyn become one of our campaign kids so that we could help send her and her family to Disney World! Unfortunately after chatting with Jessica, I found out that traveling to Disney World currently wasn’t an option for Braelyn. Not only was Braelyn battling cancer for the second time, but she also got a brain injury from her chemo that caused her to lose her ability to walk, talk, eat, and even sit up, and she is currently having to relearn everything. They live about two hours away from the hospital where Braelyn is being treated, so mom and Braelyn were living in a hotel room in Houston, while Braelyn's dad and brother had to live separately at home.
Hearing about their situation broke my heart, and inspired our team to get extra creative. We launched Braelyn’s campaign with a goal to raise enough money to get them into a new apartment. With the help of another housing nonprofit Jessica was able to get in touch with, we were able to send Braelyn’s family enough money to have them apply for the apartment, and cover their rent for 6 months. We were so happy we were able to provide this support for them, but we knew we just had to do more to help make some special memories possible for Braelyn and her family.
We wanted to bring Disneyland to Braelyn in Texas, so after a couple months of planning, last weekend, Nick and I hopped on a flight to Houston to make it happen. We got to team up with another one of our Texas campaign families OurHappilyEverAvery who made the 4 hour drive out to Houston to help us bring the Disney magic. They came up with the decor, the treats, and all the little details that make Disney, Disney! I messaged a friend I knew of in Houston named Heather, and she came out as Princess Tiana, and our friends over in New Jersey Avery And Her Bravery helped us source an Elsa! Yes, you read that right! A family in New Jersey, helped us find a Princess in Texas. This is what I LOVE about our community! Always finding a way to make it happen together, even from afar.
After a fun night of baking and blowing up balloons with Avery’s family, the project was officially ready to go! The music was playing, the treats and decor were set, and Princess Tiana was ready to sing Braelyn’s favorite songs. Seeing the look on Braelyn’s face as her parents wheeled her in, and seeing her smile as Princess Tiana started singing melted everyone’s hearts. I’ve had the honor of meeting and becoming close with so many kids, and each experience has been so special, just as this one was. I had to fight back the tears as the emotions hit me. In that moment looking around the room and seeing everyone feel the magic, seeing Braelyn’s smile.. that moment was everything.
Thank you so much to everyone who help us make moments like this possible for kids like Braelyn. I am so beyond grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this amazing community.
If you’d like to learn more about Braelyn’s story, you can do so by visiting campaignoaat.org/braelynstrong
For daily updates on Braelyn, you can follow her on her Facebook Page.
And lastly, if you’d like to see the video of Braelyn’s smile, you can view the video here.
Thank you all for reading! Let’s keep spreading good ❤️
-Brodi