A Family Project
Sometimes, Sweet Dreams have nothing to do with having a beautiful room or new bedding. Sometimes, Sweet Dreams come from having Dad at home in the evenings, and an organized space for medications. The little things can make a big impact for families of children (and parents) with special needs.
Prior to this year, the "Smith" family happily camped with the Boy Scouts and enjoyed Comicon and Cosplay opportunities. Mom is a creative costume dynamo and the rest of the family are happy and willing participants. With one son with Tourette Syndrome and another with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Mom worked from home to help with managing symptoms to provide the boys with a sturdy study environment. The challenges came when Dad's diabetes created a breakdown in his kidneys and dialysis was needed while Dad waited for a transplant. The treatments took too much time away from family life and started to negatively impact the boys' health and schoolwork.
Home dialysis was a possibility, but the process is slow (overnight for 8-9 hours) and it requires a large amount of space for medical equipment.
Cecily's Closet was able to step in and create a space for the boys' camping equipment in a new storage shed in the backyard. The Qwik and Dolton/Gilbert Families erected the shed so that the boys' Boy Scout supplies and bikes could be moved to make way for the palette of supplies for Dad's home treatments. In addition, both boys received desks so that they could do their homework in a quiet space in their room, and storage for their Legos and craft supplies. Mom and Dad received some organizational pieces to allow for medical equipment to be easily moved into their bedroom.
Dad now receives dialysis at home and is not required to sit in the hospital away from his family for hours on end, relieving a huge amount of stress. The family is together, and that's what's Sweet Dreams are made of. The boys can focus on school and they are able to enjoy time with family while Dad awaits a donor.
The family would like to highlight the importance of organ donors and encourage people to give blood and platelets and consider being tested to be a donor.
Thank you to our amazing team of volunteers who pulled off not one, but four spaces for this family.