Recently, children are brought sharply into focus due to a
wide variety of recent events. In a
world full of tragedy it seems especially unfair that young ones are too often
unable to live full lives.
This sounds like the beginning to a sad story, and I’ll
admit, it’s not easy… but it comes full
circle as a portion of the promise of one young man’s life is being carried on
by a loving family that chose to make something meaningful out of something
senseless.
Sam Bish was, to hear his family tell it, a regular kid
starting the 3rd grade who loved to do the things most kids do. He began to have some pain in his leg and as
it affected him more and more, to the point of waking him up in the middle of
the night and affecting his play, his parents took him to him to be seen by a
doctor and received sad, shocking news.
This wasn’t a matter of a simple strain. Sam was diagnosed with an aggressive form of
bone cancer in his leg. A course of
treatment was started right away, and a harrowing story ensued. Sam endured surgery after surgery, as the
cancer spread in addition to radiation therapy.
After an unimaginably difficult road, filled with radical
surgeries and constant radiation, Sam passed away in the summer of 2010. What stood out to me from our meeting were
his parent’s memories of him throughout as just a kid. He still laughed, smiled and played. He liked video games and Star Wars. He had a wonderful time on a family trip to
Disney World.
No one can say what wonderful things this brave kid might
have done in life, but his Parents and two sisters have started the Sam Bish
Foundation in his honor. http://www.sambishfoundation.org
Their mission, “The Sam Bish Foundation brings Hope, Support and Smiles to
children and families facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis.”
They do this by hosting on ward parties, sending care
packages and working as almost an “in kind” clearing house, collecting
donations and using their own time and energy to bring relief and support to
the families affected by pediatric cancer.
This is how they honor the memory of their son.
We at Swoop!, along
with our friends from Dos Hermanos are proud to partner with them, to raise
funds at the “Bish Bash” August 10th,
2013 from 10:00-3:00PM at Westerville Christian Church
We’ll donate 100%
percent of our profits for the day to the foundation to continue cheering
families, providing help and comfort during financially troubling times and all
manner of support for Children with and families affected by pediatric cancer.
We hope you’ll do your part and come eat some delicious
food. Listen to some good music… maybe
bounce around in the bounce house, knowing that your support will help people
that surely need it.
We hope your support won’t stop there. There are other ways to help!
http://www.sambishfoundation.org
