Meet Jefte and his family. He is one of three children, surrounded by the love and care of his devoted mom and dad. Jefte lives with cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome and relies on both a G-tube and tracheostomy for his daily care. His needs require constant attention,...
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Siblings in the Shadows: How Childhood Illness Impacts an Entire Family
When 5-year-old Micah was diagnosed with stage four Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), he was given a discouraging prognosis: less than a 10% chance of survival. His parents made the difficult decision to uproot their family from the Tampa area to seek medical treatment...
How One Year of Sunshine Family Faced Their Son’s Serious Diagnosis
By Caitlin, Bentlee's Mom and Year of Sunshine Mom When Bentlee’s mom, Caitlin, joined our Year of Sunshine Family, she became part of a supportive community that has encouraged her as she cares for a young son who struggles with incurable congenital heart...
Why You Should Never Underestimate the Power of Kindness
By Abigail Sacran Mondays are my day. My husband, Louis, gives me the day off. I do the grocery shopping (alone and it is glorious); I run errands for my little eBay side hustle; I do whatever I want. Today, I was at Sam’s, and I noticed a mother who had a son with...
Finding Your People Isn’t Easy, But it’s Worth the Journey
By Dawn Graczyk, Sunshine Mom Orlando is a dream for my girls. They love the rides and the excitement. They are pulled in by the smell of hot popcorn and overpriced theme park ice cream. Anneliese is enamored with the adrenaline of roller coasters. It has...
Providing a Year of Sunshine to Families During a Pandemic
By Diane Smith, Executive Director of Spreading Sunshine I see it time and time again. A volunteer steps up to make a Sunshine card or collect items for a Sunshine Box. It’s something that they might consider a small gesture. But when they realize the joy of children...