Believe In Tomorrow has proudly served critically ill children and their families for over 40 years. The families, volunteers, and donors that make up the Believe In Tomorrow family are true examples of inspiration, dedication, and hope. Please enjoy our stories below:
Meet Aubree!
Aubree and her family were able to enjoy a fun week away at The House By The Sea and proved that summer isn’t the only time to have fun at the beach! She loved playing mini golf at Old Pro Golf and bowling at Alley Oops. Thank you to all the businesses and generous donors who were able to help bring a smile to her face after many long months of treatment!
A little about Aubree’s journey:Aubree was born with Pierre Robin Sequence and thrived over the past 8 years. Right before her 9th birthday, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 Wilm’s Tumor. After determining the best course of treatment with her medical team, Aubree’s right kidney and the tumor were removed followed by 25 weeks of chemo and 8 fractions of radiation. She completed her last chemo treatment the day before Thanksgiving and was extremely sick, but that didn’t stop her from feeling thankful and excited because she knew that it was her last time feeling sick due to treatment. It has been a long and tough journey for Aubree but we are happy to report that she is cancer-free as of TODAY!!
Meet Ezra!
We’d like you to meet 4-year old Ezra! This sweet boy recently enjoyed a beach respite trip to The Children’s House By The Sea with his mom, dad, and brothers. There were big smiles all around because the beach is fun even in the fall!
Meet Leonel!
Leonel and his family recently went away to The House at Deep Creek Lake to enjoy some much needed family time. Despite the rainy weather, they managed to still have tons of fun! Between board games, arcade games, and hikes at Shallow Falls State Park, we know they were able to get away from the day to day challenges and stress they face at the hospital. We are so grateful for the opportunity to help make Leonel smile a little bigger and heal a little more!
Meet Konstantina!
From Konstantina, her mom, dad and little brother are from Arlington, VA and recently visited The House On Wisp Mountain to enjoy some of the last warm days of summer. They had fun on the lake, went hiking at Swallow Falls and enjoyed some horseback riding.
Meet Holly!
From Holly’s Mom: “We had the best week at the House by the Sea. On the way home yesterday my husband and I were talking about how mentally refreshed we feel. We hadn’t gone anywhere other than back and forth to the hospital for the past 8 months and the change of scenery was just so much fun for us all. The housing was so comfortable, and everyone was so warm and welcoming to us. Thank you again for all you and your wonderful foundation do for families like ours. You certainly brought a week of much needed joy to us.”
Meet Elsa!
Meet Josie!
The moment we stepped foot in the house, we felt at peace for the first time in months. We didn’t realize how badly we needed this time away as a family to relax and de-stress after a difficult year.
Meet Zeke!
“We just had to write to express our gratitude for you and all of those who work and support BELIEVE IN TOMORROW. Our 6th-grade son just wrote a paper for school and he chose to write all about our week spent at Wisp Mountain. He entitled it “One Epic Vacation” and I couldn’t agree more. The week was everything we were dreaming of for our first time on vacation together as a family since Zeke’s diagnosis in October 2019. The kids had no idea, until the day before, that we were even leaving for vacation, and little did they know how grand it would be. Our road trip there was brewing with excitement! As we pulled up the mountain the excitement in the car was bubbling over. There was deer along the edges of the road leading up causing giddy shouts of delight the whole way up! When we arrived and walked in my husband and I just felt so much relief, joy, and release. The kids ran around the house shrieking in wonder as they spotted their own bathrooms, the epic pool table, kids games, and the incredible firepit area. Zeke’s journey led us to living mostly separate for the majority of the year as he spent over 220 days in the hospital from March ’20 to January ’21. Zeke had some serious complications from having two transplants that caused us to live away from home for 14 months too. This vacation was what we kept in our sight all summer long as we tried to navigate the Joy of being home but also adapting to a new normal. A week together sounded like an incredible dream and it truly was for us all! Our family spent a week JUST US creating brand new, medical-free memories!!
Thank you all for this gift to our family! What an incredible time we had and can’t express enough just what it meant to our family. “
Meet Ryleigh!
After undergoing open heart surgery earlier this summer at Johns Hopkins Pediatric and Congenital Heart Center, we are thrilled to tell you that Ryleigh is thriving post-surgery and checked out of The Believe In Tomorrow Children’s House at Johns Hopkins! Some of her favorite things include sleeping, snuggling with mom and dad, her wubba-nub and being so stinkin’ cute! At 6 weeks old, she finally got to enjoy some fresh air and enjoyed it so much that she slept through the whole outdoor adventure!
Meet Abby!
After struggling with migraines, this sweet girl was diagnosed with an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor. An extremely rare, aggressive, and fast-growing form of brain cancer. She has undergone brain surgery, many rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, and has been through more in her 5 years than most people face in a lifetime.
What is truly remarkable about Abby, is her spirit and attitude. She never complains and is always looking for the next opportunity for a dance party! Abby asked her Mom to help make a video to thank everyone who gave her an amazing week at the beach. See her thank you video below…
Meet Ailani!
Ailani, her mom, and her dad were excited to take their first beach respite with Believe In Tomorrow, and we absolutely loved to see how much fun in the sun they were able to enjoy!
“Our family had the most amazing time this weekend. Ailani enjoyed every minute and was extremely excited about being on the beach. She hasn’t been to the beach since we moved from CA before she was diagnosed with cancer.”
Meet Zoey!
Look at this sweet face! Zoey had a blast on her trip to The House On Wisp Mountain last week. This brave girl had to go through physical therapy to learn to walk again and less than two years later, she’s more active than ever.
Zoey got to play mini golf, go on her first boat ride, make some fun arts and crafts at Deep Creek Pottery, and spend lots of time on the obstacle course at Wisp. She absolutely loved the zip line there!
Meet Gunnar!
Gunnar and his family enjoyed their time in Ocean City. They were able to have a much-needed respite from doctor’s appointments and treatment plans and simply enjoy being together as a family!
Meet Lincoln!
“Thank you so much for the amazing week at the ocean! We had a blast trying delicious food, playing in the ocean, exploring, mini golfing, boating, and the list goes on! It was a much needed week of fun and healing for our family. Words cannot describe how thankful we are and how much we appreciate what you do for families like ours. We also loved meeting and getting to know that other families that attended with us! Thank you from the bottom of hearts.”
Meet Elia!
Meet Elia!
We received the most heartwarming letter from one of our families who recently went on a respite trip to The Children’s House on Wisp Mountain and we wanted to share it with all of you! Elia, her big brother, and their Mom and Dad traveled from South Carolina to take their first respite trip with us! Here is what Elia’s Mom had to say about their trip:
“Elia was diagnosed at two years old with B-cell ALL. She spent the last three years battling cancer, isolated from the world. No steady school, no play dates, and certainly no family vacations. The only trips we took were forced by hurricane evacuations. In June she rang the bell, finished treatment, and had her port removed – but the pandemic still prevents her from experiencing life the way a now five-year-old should. But this past week, Believe In Tomorrow gifted us our first ever family vacation. For an entire week we played in the snow – something Elia had been begging to do since we had an unexpected snowfall in Charleston in 2017. We went skiing, tubing, built snowmen, and rode the mountain coaster. It all felt so blissfully “normal” and we couldn’t have asked for anything more. Thank you so much, Believe In Tomorrow, these memories will last a lifetime.”
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