In Missoula, Montana no one has to struggle alone. My daughter, Jadyn, was struggling with the possibility of a future without any cure for her rare form of cancer, pancreatoblastoma. Her doctors in Seattle suggested our family take a vacation or do something special with Jadyn. They feared her future was uncertain, but she was healthy enough at that time to have fun and feel well, too. What six-year old wouldn’t want to make memories on vacation?
I asked my husband, Britt, a busy painting contractor, if he could manage time off work, if we had the funds to go, and with Jadyn’s special medical needs, were we able to make a vacation a reality. Many factors had to come together for this trip to come to fruition. Honestly, I thought Britt would say, “It won’t work right now”.
I thought of a place Jadyn and Rylee, our youngest daughter at the time, would enjoy, of course Disneyland popped into my mind. I had nothing to lose and Britt surprisingly said, “Yes, I think we should go to Disneyland”.
Grateful, and a bit shocked by the nod to go forward on this special vacation for Jadyn, I called family in Utah, Nevada, and Virginia to see if they’d like to join us. Britt asked his family here in Missoula, and the ball was rolling. Members at Missoula Alliance Church, the YMCA staff, Montana Hope Project officers, and extended family caught wind of our situation and plans and the generosity started to flow.
Flights were donated from generous donors to some of my family in Virginia so they could join us in California. Providentially, the rest of my family happened to have openings in their schedules and the funds at the time to drive to California. Britt’s family was also available and made flight reservations with the four of us. Every family member made it to Disneyland, except one. Twenty people, on short notice, from as far as Virginia converged in one spot for a vacation of a lifetime.
As the Missoula family was preparing to leave, the YMCA staff gave us beach bags filled with goodies for our trip, including walkie talkies to keep all of us in touch, beach hats and sunglasses, disposable cameras, and more. Extended family sent cash, for all at the park, and Mickey Mouse shirts for the girls. A generous group at Missoula Alliance Church bought most of the tickets for our family to get into Disneyland. Even the Montana Hope Project dived in to help. They contacted a Anaheim motel that gave extremely low rates for each room. The motel manager went even further—and met us at the gate, with three local businessmen, to give a few of us their passes each day so none of us had to pay for tickets. Jadyn was given a special speed pass to get her to the front of each ride so she didn’t have to wait in long lines. She was then able to enjoy more rides. She went on the Peter Pan Ride several times, in a row, and named it her “favorite ride”. So many thoughtful details went into making our vacation special. We felt overwhelming gratitude, and still do!
Without the effort of numerous organizations, and community members, Jadyn’s trip would not have been a dream come true. She was so overjoyed to spend four glorious days with all of her loved ones that the smile never left her face. For four days Jadyn left her struggles behind. We all cherished every moment with her and will never forget our experience.
The Jadyn Fred Foundation, started after Jadyn’s death March 23, 2001, strives to bring a little help to families in situations like ours. Maybe we don’t fulfill dreams like vacations to Disneyland, but we can send a ray of hope when bills are piling up and life’s challenges seem overwhelming. We experienced
this first-hand when Jadyn was rushed to Seattle Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery, which began our three year journey in and out of hospitals. Our mission is to reach out to our community, and beyond, to help children with cancer, and any child with special medical needs, to cover costs associated with travel to medical facilities and bills not covered by insurance, including prescriptions. Everyone needs help once in a while—and that is the Jadyn Fred Foundation’s purpose.
For applications online go to www.jadynfred.org. Lynn Fred, Britt’s father and Executive Director, will receive the application, forward it to the JFF Board of Directors and it will generally be approved in three days.
+ Making a difference one life at a time.