The Danny Fund

The Danny Fund was founded in 1993 when a four-year-old Pelham boy named Danny was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. To help, friends provided warmth, love and emotional support to let the parents know they were not alone. They rallied around the family and raised money through bake sales, winter softball games and word of mouth. Danny responded to his treatment, his cancer is in remission, and he is now leading the active and normal life of a 20 year-old. With the crisis behind them, the small group of organizers met. If they could help one family in a meaningful way, why not others? The Danny Fund was born.

Every year the Danny Fund holds a fundraiser.  It is a fun gathering of community members and patrons, along with Danny Fund families.  The mission of the Danny Fund is to help families whose child has been hit by a catastrophic illness.  We are one such family and we ask that you join us on February 11th or make a donation here. For more information, leave me a comment or email given2fly46@yahoo.com.   We cannot thank the Danny Fund enough for all they have done for us.  The video above says it all.

Read more about the Danny Fund here.  To see how we have been helped in the past click here, here, and here.

Principal for the Day

Each year a family donates money to the Danny Fund to fundraise and have their child be Principal of the Day.  This year an anonymous family donated in Sammy's name.  He became Principal Zweig last Friday. He looked so handsome all dressed up in his suit and tie and we cut his hair to smarten up the 'mad professor' look he had going (that is another story)!

Dr. R, the school Principal, welcomed Mr. Zweig and the two of them ran the school.  Sammy made announcements over the PA...the most popular one was "No homework tonight or Monday!"  Everyone, myself included, was very surprised at how articulate and confident Sammy sounded on the speaker.  He really sounded like a mature fifth grader.  He went on the rounds of the classrooms and stopped by my class to ask what the students were learning that day.

The representatives from the Danny Fund came in about 10:30 for the photo shoot.  Sammy took it all in his stride.  He shook hands and thanked people...I think he is a born leader....and posed very nicely for the camera.

By the end of the day, Sammy was tired...not so much from being Principal, but because of all the attention he was getting.  I think he loved every minute of it, however...he said the whole day only seemed like two hours :)

School Dance Festival

Last year the school held a big Super Sammy Day, turning the annual Dance Festival into a fundraiser for the Danny Fund.  This year we got to enjoy being a little more 'regular' as both Jack and Sam danced in their grade level dances and both were treated just like any other kid in the school.  We all loved that, not that we are ungrateful for the love and support showered upon us last year, but being normal is very dear to us all nowadays.

Of course, Sammy didn't so much dance as limp around.  But he enjoyed every minute of it, crazy thinning spiky hair and all!  Jack got a lot of attention from me as I was able to focus more on him and less on the media frenzy of last year.  I will post some more of his pictures on his blog.

As the end of the school year draws closer, activities galore are in store.  Sammy has already had his class picnic...pictures below.  Jack has his Chocolate Fever party (After reading the book Chocolate Fever, the third graders have a grade level picnic with a chocolate theme.  They even get chocolate spots which can only be 'cured' by vanilla pills!)  Both boys have Field Day to enjoy.  Both are on the Gold Team....we will see how Sammy copes with the challenges of team sports, Jack will be his usual sporty, competitive self :)

We have the baseball picnic, the baseball banquet, and the Montefiore day at Playland to look forward to.  I will try to post pictures and mini-rundowns as we go. That is, IF I survive all this insanity!!!!!

Class Picnic

Sitting with friends

Picnic Beach Ball Fun!

Dance Festival

Dancing with Partner

Friends since Pre-aschool!

Jack being.....well, Jack!

Applause and Awards

Sammy had been asked, many months ago, to present the Danny Fund award at the Senior Awards Ceremony for the school district.  We had agreed, mainly because of all the support the Danny Fund has given us, and due to the fact that the community where the kids go to school has been so unbelievably supportive.  Little did we know that Peter (our hero) was to be the recipient.

Anyway, they awards ceremony was held on the evening of the early clinic day so we were not even sure that Sammy would make it.  When we got the call that Peter was receiving the award, Sammy became super determined to go, not matter what kind of infection he had.  So off we went.

The school gymnasium was set up so the parents were in the bleachers, the seniors getting wards were each side of the podium, and the presenters were at the back of the podium in several rows of chairs.  450 awards were scheduled to be given that night.  The Danny Fund were up after ten awards.

We had only learned that Peter was getting the award, a grant from the Danny Fund, that day so we were over the moon and emotional about it....Peter means a great deal to us.  We saw his mom and dad sitting in the audience, and I knew they had no idea about the honor about to be bestowed on their son.  What came next, I could not have dreamed of in a million years.

Our dear friend, Loretta from the Danny Fund, introduced the award and the fact that there was a special person giving it out, someone who was fighting leukemia and was demonstrating the ability to overcome unbelievable obstacles just like the recipient of the grant had done.  She called out Sammy Zweig to come up and present the award.  I braced myself for the emotion of Sammy calling out Peter's name but was dumbfounded when the entire gymnasium...in sync and without any prompt... stood up for a resounding standing ovation for Sammy.  My Sammy!   My wonderful hero, Sammy!!!!!

I was crying my eyes out.  I later found out from Gina, Peter's mom, that a lot of the audience were crying too.  I had to laugh when, as all were standing except me...too busy blubbing and trying to take in the amazing spectacle before me, a very senior member of the community sitting behind me loudly commented, "Oh, that's the Sammy I've heard so much about....YOU had better stand for this guy..come on...stand up!!!!"   I dutifully stood and didn't feel it was worth turning and telling him I was Sammy's mum...I just 'got' what he was saying and it put me totally over the edge.....tears everywhere.

Sammy stood for at least a minute, taking the applause and smiling despite his fear, then announced the winner of the award.  What better person to receive it than the young man who had the same battle Sammy was having.  The young man who had overcome and defeated cancer, and was now Class President and Captain of the Football Team.  Peter, upon hearing his name, ran over to the podium, scooped up Sammy in his arms, and the two heroes hugged and shared a moment of triumph together!

Emotional overload!!!!

The Danny Fund

http://thedannyfund.org/

Today Brian called at a friend's house to pick up gift for the boys and a gift card from The Danny Fund to the boys (and us) to celebrate 'guilt free' over the holidays.  We are not to use it for copays or bills.  It is such a wonderful gesture!  My favorite gift, however, was the news that the money that was raised at the Super Sammy Dance Festival Day...previously mentioned - orange T-shirts everywhere...TV interviews...donations from the kids etc. was being used to help three families in need. 

I cannot express how good it felt to be helping someone else.  Knowing that we are not just 'taking' from others, but also contributing again.  It is especially important that it is through the Danny Fund as they really help keep people afloat when health issues threaten to rip family finances apart.  We could not have stayed financially afloat without their help. 

Now, am I glad for the wrong reasons, I ask myself?  Do I dislike my inability to cope on my own so much, I jump at the chance to help others to make myself feel better?  Looking inward, really going deep inside myself, I think I do feel a sense of relief we are able to be 'helpers' rather than 'takers'.  Does that make me a bad person?  Not sure...but this is my reflection:  when one goes through more than one can usually cope with, it is a necessary survival strategy to welcome the aid and generosity of others.  My dear friend, Gina, who has been through this herself, told me in the very early days, "Take all the help you can get and give back later. People genuinely want to help you."   I have never taken this help and love for granted, but,boy, it sure feels better to be on the giving side again. 

So, to psycho-analyze myself a little further...I don't think I'm a bad person, just a relieved mother.  We are at a different stage and can be more aware of others again.  I am seeing HUGE lists of people to thank....all of whom I intended to immediately and then got sidetracked by yet another bad phase or reaction to meds.  I have not got that excuse any more.  I am free to be me again to a much greater extent.

Therefore, I am now a "helper with a need for some help".  I am a "friend who needs her good friends also"....I am a mother of a very sick child who is coming through the other side of Hell and can understand what it is like to be there...I can help...I can empathize...I can DO something for others...I can be ME!  Thank you, Danny Fund, for giving me the gift of feeling like ME again.