Operation: Force of Hope Part II

If you have been following the story so far, you know that back in August I began a crusade to save a young woman's life. Nadine Sfeir had been battling brain cancer and her could not afford the medical costs of her last resort, an experimental treatment only offered abroad and not covered by her health insurance. Nadine's battle ended on Thanksgiving this year. She passed at home in the arms of her family.

I knew when I took this mission on that it was a long shot. "Never tell me the odds" isn't just a cool thing Han Solo says- it's a promise I made that no matter how bleak things may look, or how impossible someones plight may seem, to support them, encourage them, and help them fight back. Everyone deserves a chance to fight, win or lose. Nadine needed our help, and we answered her call.

When Nadine died, it hurt. It hurt knowing I had failed. It hurt knowing that such a bright and promising person could be taken from us. But most of all, it hurt knowing that Nadine's family would spend this Christmas in mourning. Many times this holiday, my mind drifted from what I was doing to the thoughts of Nadine's family, and especially to her Fiance. I am engaged to be married this coming January, and the thought of losing my wife-to-be during the holidays was too horrible to imagine.

 I never met Nadine. All I know about her I learned through a few fundraising websites, her twitter account, and her obituary. I never heard her voice or saw her face, but there is one thing I have taken away from the words of her loved ones:

Nadine believed in helping people.

I saw it only fit to use the left over money from Nadine's fundraiser to help someone sharing her battle. That person was a little boy named Dom. Dom has spent the last 2 years of his life battling brain cancer, and has decided to take his experience and turn it around by helping other people in need and making other children's days brighter. Dom and his family organised a toy drive for the kids he meets at his monthly treatments and sponsored 14 families this past holiday with  gifts he collected. Dom is an amazing kid with a great family who understands something that I have always believed, that giving back is part of the healing process.

Many of my amazing friends and fellow members of the Makaze Squad put together a care package for Dom and his siblings, including toys, video games, and Subway gift cards (where Dom likes to eat after chemo). Along with this package Dom's family received a giant check from Darth Vader in the amount of $1,000 to help with Dom's treatment and projects. The members of the Black Ice Squad in the Wisconsin Garrison of the 501st made the day extra special by adding their own gifts and suiting up for a very special visit to Dom's family to deliver the package. I think these photos say it all. A huge thanks to all the troopers involved, especially Briana Petersen, and to Maci Lynn Bates who set me up with Dom through her amazing 'Little Warriors' program. It was a mad flurry of emails, shipping, and snowstorms, but in the end it turned out great.

In the end, I am still sad about losing Nadine's battle. I hope that in some way it may comfort her family to know that we fought for her, and that we paid tribute to her in a beautiful way.
 I will never forget her fight.
 But the war goes on.
 I may not win this war in my lifetime, but with kids like Dom are out there, I know someone will.

-TK-66613
"Never Tell Me the Odds"

Check out Dom's page:
https://www.facebook.com/PayingItForwardJediStyle

And Little Warriors:
https://www.facebook.com/littlewarriors.acs