The Power of Positivity: Never Had a Bad Day

There are many reasons to love the city of Chicago, but one of the things I love most is the generous nature of those who live here. Each year, Chicagoans donate millions of dollars and countless hours to support their neighbors in need.

Take for example the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Last year over $61 million was donated to support the work of the hospital with over 50% coming from individual donors. When viewed in the context of an annual budget of nearly a billion dollars, it is obvious that providing world-class oncology care requires financial commitments on a massive scale, including the generosity of others.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital

Despite the large number of dollars the system requires, Lurie is extraordinary at keeping the focus on each child’s individual needs.  Each clinician, care-giver and support staff understand that behind the numbers is a young girl or boy who is sick, and a family that is stretched to the limit financially and emotionally.

If you’ve ever had someone close to you require an extended hospital stay you know the stress it can place on the patient’s family. Whether it is lost hours of work because of hospital visits, or missed events for other siblings, each family member shares the burden for the care and recovery of a sick child.

The idea that we could support the less obvious needs of a family battling pediatric cancer became our mission. Now entering our second year, the Never Had a Bad Day foundation is starting to realize the vision of building a broader network of care and understanding around pediatric cancer patients and their families when they need it most.

In the past year NHBD has had the opportunity to help nearly a half-dozen families, serving as their extended network of empathy, resources and positive energy. As a result of our first casino night fund raiser in the summer of 2017 we were able to donate $750 towards the mortgage payment of a family whose child was undergoing an aggressive chemotherapy regimen at Lurie’s. Previously diagnosed with ectopic kidney at 14 weeks, the young cancer patient’s mother said, “he’s an incredible inspiration to the rest of the family!”

The parents of one of our favorites, Sammy, speak at a recent NHBD event.

Another family benefited from the generous donations that evening by allowing NHBD to pay $750 towards the car payment of a family whose young daughter had begun treatment for kidney cancer. Having to worry about car payments can create incredible stress on parents who suddenly rely on that vehicle for daily hospitable visits. Sometimes, a family must stretch their financial thread even further by purchasing a second vehicle so one parent can go to work and the other to visit the child.

These gifts might seem insignificant in the context of the hundreds of thousands of dollars required to battle each case of pediatric cancer, but judging from the smiles of the families we’ve been fortunate enough to help, our small donations are deeply appreciated.

Never Had a Bad Day was founded on the belief that a child’s battle with cancer starts with great care, but full recovery is sustained by the smiles and positive attitude of a family that can focus its attention on the child. At NHBD we have dedicated ourselves to doing much more than sending a check to a family in need. We want to be an extension of the caring network that offers time, love and attention months after the trauma of a hospital stay has passed.

Our goal is to let NHBD families know that their fight is our fight, that we have walked in their shoes and that if they will allow us, we want to be an extension of the network that helps them cope.

We cherish every day that a child lives. When the time comes to say good bye, it's often the surviving parents who give us hope and bring a smile to our faces. Anthony Cervone's son lost his battle with pediatric cancer, but his parents continue to advocate for pediatric cancer research, pictured here with representatives of Family Reach.

In the weeks and months ahead I and others supporting the Never Had a Bad Day mission will share stories of the families facing the challenges of pediatric cancer. We hope you find them as inspiring as we have.