Easing the Childhood Cancer Journey
Malachi's Miles of Smiles Holiday Gift Baskets was started in 2007 by B.I.G. Love Cancer Care and continues to bring loads of smiles today in honor of our son Malachi Schaefer. Malachi was the first patient at Texas Children's Cancer Center to receive all three baskets during the first year this ministry began. He had acute myeloid leukemia and spent five straight months in the hospital. After passing away just two days after Father's Day, his parents began giving back to B.I.G. Love Cancer Care by gathering donations for Holiday Baskets. In 2010, they partnered with Memorial Church of Christ to take over the basket ministry permanently and expanded it to include Texas Children's West Campus in 2011. It has been a rewarding ministry for the Schaefer Family and a way for Memorial Church of Christ to serve others in the Houston Community.
Each holiday gift basket is prepared with care by our amazing volunteers. The gift baskets are passed out to all in-patient families for Father's Day, Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.
Joyful times while enduring childhood cancer can seem few and far between. The daily routine of doctors, treatments, medications, etc. can overshadow the times in which families typically celebrate. Holidays are especially difficult and are sometimes forgotten due to the demands placed on the child and family. But our family remembers the joy that arrived for us on Valentine's Day 2007 in the form of a basket. Filling the basket were things that helped us in our daily routine, such as bath towels, snacks, toys. The contents were overflowing with fun for our children to share and useful things for my husband and I to use as well. More than the contents of the basket, it was the desire of other people, whom we had not met, to help our family in a time of difficulty. True service by others. Malachi's Miles of sMiles Holiday Gift Baskets exist today so that in some small way joy might be added to an otherwise unbearable situation.
South Texas - Jessica Creamer - blccprogramhouston@gmail.com
Austin, Texas - Sarah Mendoza - sarahmendoza@biglovecancercare.org
San Antonio, Texas - Jenna Painter - jenna@biglovecancercare.org
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