Dreams Come True

A little over a year ago now, I was in my office at work when I received a phone call. Certain it was a customer, I promptly answered the phone. I'll never forget the voice on the other end or the words they said. The voice was infused with cheer and was so sincere..."Hi Lori...this is Brandi with Dreams Come True and I am calling to tell you that your daughter Elle has been chosen to receive a DREAM!! We are so excited and can't wait to do something really special for her." My head was spinning as Brandi proceeded to tell me about Dreams Come True, who they are and what they do.

Here's the whole, beautiful story...

In 1984, the late Thomas R. McGehee, Chairman of Mac Papers, and his wife, Delia, met a 17-year-old boy who had cystic fibrosis. This young man, George Lee, loved golf. When McGehee learned this, he arranged for George to be paired with Fred Couples and play in the Pro-Am of the TPC. Following an exciting round of play, Couples gave the young man his driver. A year later, George lost his battle with cystic fibrosis. His prized club was buried at his side.

That was the beginning of Dreams Come True. McGehee partnered with business leaders Hugh Jones, Chairman of then-Barnett Bank; Jay Stein and Jack Williams of Stein Mart; and the late Roy Baker, M.D., Chairman of the Board of Directors of University Medical Center. These gentlemen, with the help of McGehee's godson, Dr. Paul Wharton, put their heads together to develop Dreams Come True, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses. Dreams Come True applies all contributions, unless otherwise designated, directly to the dreams of children. This is made possible by the support of Program Sponsors, Program Contributors and donors who make unrestricted donations. Unrestricted donations are used for administrative costs or dream expenses, as deemed necessary.

Since 1984, Dreams Come True has made the special desires of more than 2,700 children come true. Dreams provide these wonderful children and their families with a momentary reprieve from the rigors of medical treatment often associated with life-threatening illnesses. A dream temporarily removes the child from doctor visits, hospital stays, tests and needles and brings laughter, joy and childhood to the forefront. Dreams give the children and their families memories to carry them through the rough times and smiles to last a lifetime. Dreams bring hope and the promise of tomorrow.

Needless to say, it was a very emotional phone call. Brandi knew this was probably overwhelming for me, or any parent, and left me with her contact information.

It took about a year, but Elle finally got her "Dream" in December of 2011. Please note that the hold up was all on my part. I wanted to make sure I picked the right "Dream" for Elle. I wanted it to be something that was all for Elle, something that she could enjoy for more than a day and something that could aid in her development. During a conversation with Brandi, I finally asked her...what are some things you have done in the past for kids like Elle? Brandi said the magic words..."Well...in the past we have built Sensory Rooms, we have..." "STOP!!", I said. "That's it!!! A Sensory Room!!!" It was perfect. We chose things that would encourage Elle to move around her room, things that would promote hand-eye coordination and things that would encourage her to do whatever necessary to get to them.

To make things even more special, Brandi got in touch with Designs From the heART, an amazing group of women here in Jacksonville that turn 4 walls into an amazing space for these kids. With a little bit of paint and a whole lot of heart, they transformed Elle's room into something special for her. I always say that if Elle could choose, she would choose butterflies. Why? Because they are free to fly, to move and to go anywhere...this is what I would want for Elle. Freedom from the limitations that her body put on her. In just a few days Elle's room was done and we were ready for the reveal!

It was amazing!! See for yourself...




Elle loves her room and spends lots of time exploring it. I simply can not tell you how truly amazing the team at Dreams Come True has been. In addition to her room, Elle also received a jogging stroller so that we can run together and a bike trailer so that we can bike together. This was not the end, but simply the begining of a special relationship. The team at Dreams Come True has stayed in touch and frequently checks in to see how Elle is doing. Some how that little girl put her spell on them...and they love her!! We will always be grateful to Brandi, the entire Dreams Come True family and the women at Designs From the heART for giving us something so valuable and for what they do they eveyday for children and their families.

Welcome Back!

Silly as it sounds, I feel that if our blog could talk, it would say to me "Welcome Back!" I have so missed sitting and just downloading Elle's progress, sharing her stories and at times, just venting. Last night during dinner, our discussion brought up this blog and I was telling David how much I missed writting and then proceeded to explain why I have not given anything to the blog recently. I must have said something along the lines of "do you know how long it's been since I've written anything". It was more of a statement than a question, however, the answer really stunned me. He replied, without missing a beat..."yeah...it's been 2 years."

I don't know which stunned me more...the fact that it had actually been 2 years and I was thinking more like 1 or the other fact that he knew that.

The conversation switched from this to that, we wrapped up the night and headed home. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about the blog, anticipating visiting it soon. Where would I start...2 years ago? So many things have happened in 2 years. Sure I could come up with a snapshot of Elle's past 2 years but would I remember the special little things that happened along the way or were they long gone? I guess we will just have to wait and see what comes.