I wanted to post a quick reminder that Friday (the 29th) is the last day of our online Pampered Chef fundraiser.  The directions to access the fundraiser and help us raise money by simply buying cool kitchen gadgets and other interesting items are included below in an earlier blog post.  Please take a few minutes to check out the online catalog and see if there is anything that interests you!

Other than that, things continue to be crazy on the Brady's Smile front.  We recently were selected to receive a grant from another local organization, we held our first expense assistance fundraiser to benefit a young boy with SMA, continue to develop our first 2 non-hospital based programs, explore new hospital partnerships here in CT, continue to establish new relationships with all sorts of amazing supporters, continue to plan a few small fundraisers for the summer, and are helping families honor their loved ones who passed away by establishing memorials for them at Brady's Smile.  Good stuff helping good people while we expand our footprint and ability to help children in need. 

As I sit here and type on this computer, I can't stop thinking about how quiet our little house is.  Afterall, my wife (aka one half of Brady's Smile) is away this week on a much-needed mini-vacation with a girlfriend and it's just me hanging in Fairfield this week.  I know I try to keep this blog focused on the charity, but there are times like this when I simply feel the need to write something personal and get it off my chest.

There isn't a time when I am in this house alone and Annie is away for a weekend or business trip that I don't think back to the boy's weekends that I had with Brady.   They were incredibly challenging.  They were incredibly tiring.  Watching a chronically ill, special needs child with multiple disabilities for multiple days in a row by yourself is no easy task.  But it was awesome.  It was alone time with my son, my hero, and inspiration and there was never a quiet moment except for when we took father-son naps (I miss those immensely).

But that's different this week.  I am alone here.  I don't have my little buddy to hang out with.  To talk to.  To sing to in an awful voice that only a son could appreciate.  To feed.  To play with toys with.  To go for a walk with in Old Navy or Target.  Just a father missing his son in a tiny house filled with pictures and reminders and silence.

So as usual, when I start to feel down, I immediately begin to think about our little charity and how big an influence this little boy's life has had on so many.  I try and think of the positive.  The power of his smile and strength.  He not only made my life better but his incredible smile has had such an influence that it is now impacting over 800 lives each and every month through our hospital ICU-based programs.  And that's just the beginning - we are in the process of  looking for new hospitals to partner with in the very near future and are launching two non-hospital based programs also aimed at doing big things for little ones in need.  We're helping people who were or are in the position we knew so well - those watching a child suffer, bouncing in and out of hospitals, feeling helpless and stressed.  And it feels good to help them.  It feels great in fact.  It gives me purpose.  It gives me hope.  It gives me strength.  It makes me feel like a proud papa.  It makes me want to do more.  And last but not least, it makes me smile.  But here's the thing......it's no boy's weekend.  Man I miss those....