The Magic of Christmas!

 
What a great day for all of the Candlelighter children and their families.  Thank you Candlelighters for all that you do for our families.  Josh says that his favorite part was when Santa arrived on the fire truck.  I wish you could have seen the excitement on his face.  Words cannot express how I felt as a mommy.  After all that my little boy has gone through this past year, it was such a joy to see him happy, excited and acting like a typical kid.  Again, thank you Candlelighters and all those who helped make the Christmas Party possible.

Thank you Candlelighters and the many donors who made this Candlelighters Christmas party great fun for the kids.  The crafts, music, entertainment, balloon guy, food, Santa... the boys had a great time! 
Thank you for caring!!!
 

Christmas Donations

Candlelighters, THANK YOU so much for the WONDERFUL weekend at the beach! Last year we just missed it when Ian got a fever and we had to go to the hospital instead.   So, we were really looking forward to the break this year and it did not disappoint! 

Gratefully,

~Thank you Candlelighters for such a great weekend! The boys had a blast at the beach and at the pool. It is so nice to connect with different families. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!~

~Wow...what a wonderful weekend! Thank you Candlelighters...as always, a great time. Nice to relax with the kids and play all weekend. I am especially thankful for you always asking about Sydney and being so sincere in this time of such uncertainty. Sometimes it is just nice to talk to someone who gets it and can understand.~

~This weekend we are spending with the Candlelighters at Beach Retreat they set up for families like us and I can't think of a better way to spend this one year anniversary than with other families that understand just what we are going through.  The boys are so happy to be able to spend the weekend in a hotel. Last night they had a scavenger hunt and each family was tied together while looking for all the items,we didn't win, but we had SO much fun! Shortly I will be getting a massage and then heading down with the kids to play on the beach. Thank you so much Adis, Carrie and all the Candlelighter supporters
for everything you do for us!~

~This last weekend was great. Candlelighters hosted a retreat at the Doubletree on the beach. We stayed Friday and Saturday night. I got to play in the pool and go to the beach. Thanks Candlelighters! ~

 

~We had such a nice (and much needed) weekend!  We enjoyed meeting new families and hearing their stories.  The boys also had a great time!  They didn't want to leave...  Thank you again and thank you for being a part of our lives.~

 

 Candlelighters would like to graciously thank Bari Stevenson and staff at the Doubletree Guest Suites Melbourne Beach for their outstanding hospitality.  Also, a sincere thank you to Jody Stork and students; Pamela Barber, Julie Hodgson ,Tom McCormack, Michelle Johnson and Victoria Pecsek from Space Coast Health Institute for the wonderful, relaxing massages given to our families.

 

Thank you Adis, Carrie and all the Candlelighter volunteers for all that you do.  The one thing that I have always said is I never want my little girl to be forgotten.  The entire Candlelighters’ community are so blessed to have you to help each of these children to never be forgotten. The Celebration of Life allows us all to remember our Angels.  We love you guys and I love you so much Haley…you will never be forgotten!

Love- Casey and Family

The 2009 Celebration of Life turned out to be a wonderful time for everyone who attended.  God moved the rain out and all of the children had a great time hunting Easter eggs, playing with water blasters, bubbles, hula hooping and even trying the limbo.  The hot dogs and hamburgers were so good and the massive butterfly cake was beautiful.

The Celebration of Life allows all of the families to honor those children that have passed and the children that are still here fighting this horrible disease.  During the Celebration of Life we release butterflies and the poem below is what I attempted to read just before the butterflies were released.  The poem is beautiful and really hits home for me.

 “Our lives are filled with a variety of events in
 recognition of new beginnings and changes.
 Butterflies are a joyous symbol of life, transformation
 and the essence of freedom.  What better way of honoring
 the powerful beginnings, endings, and transformations in
 our lives than with a shimmering blessing from these
 beautiful creatures?

As you release this butterfly in honor of me, know that I’m
 with you and will always be.  Hold a hand, say a prayer…
 close your eyes and see me there. Although this may feel
 like it is time to part, please know that I’ll be forever…
 in your heart.  Now fly away butterfly as high as you
 can go…I’m right there with you, more than you know”
                                                                     By Jill Haley

Oh the summer family picnics!  One can never determine what Mother Nature has in store for us!   But what started out as dreary and rainy turned out to be a day that makes you happy to live in Florida!
 “Our Family Luau Picnic” was such a blast!   It was wonderful to see our families gather outside the clinic and hospital atmosphere to just relax and allow their kids to just be kids and share in some adult conversation!

The children loved playing limbo and making bubbles with the magic bubble wands.  The squirt guns were the biggest hit as each and every one of the kids took advantage of them by squirting their parents!!  
Pelican Park is so awesome!   It’s great to have the playground nearby and just steps away, is the easy access to our beautiful beach.  
 
The burgers and hot dogs were delicious, thanks to our volunteer Grill Masters Steve & Kit. Thank you Rhea, our in house photographer, for these beautiful and joyous pictures of our families.   Also, thank you volunteers Sheila and Gil for all your help.

We would like to Thank Candlelighters and all the sponsors whom made it possible for us to spend the day at Animal Kingdom. Tristan said," now that I've seen the Nile crocodiles it made my day". Logan and Sedrik scream out “awesome” while floating down the water ride. 
We had a great time viewing all the various animals, laughing, and enjoying each others company in a relaxed atmosphere.  It was great having the opportunity to meet new families and revisiting with old families too. Our family would like to say to each of you that every new day the Lord provides will bring many more blessings of joyous memories to share with each other.

Thank you- Vicky & boys