A few months ago Nicole, an old friend and former colleague from my experiential marketing days, reached out to me. She let me know that she'd been talking to the group we used to work so closely with and asked if it would be ok with David and I if they formed a 'Benjamin the Brave' team for the 2022 Sporting Life 10k in support of Campfire Circle.
Benjamin has had the opportunity to participate in some of the in-hospital activities lead by Campfire Circle volunteers and not only did these interactions provide fun and comfort to him but they gave me a sense of light and hope in what can be a dark time. After talking it over with David we agreed that creating a team to support Campfire Circle would be a beautiful way to honour Benjamin's brave fight against cancer and bring joy and a sense of normalcy to families like ours.
Before we got back to my friend we decided to talk it over with Benjamin. We asked him how he would feel about a team called 'Benjamin the Brave' running together to raise money for Campfire Circle. He asked us what they would do with the money. We reminded him of the time he made slime in his hospital room before his port-a-cath surgery and told him that some of the money would be used to buy more craft supplies so that other kids like him could have the chance to make things like slime. We told him that Campfire Circle also puts on day camps and sleepover camps for kids with cancer and that some of the money would be used to buy all of the fun things there are to do at camp. His signature grin spread widely across his little face as he excitedly told us that he would LOVE it if there was a 'Benjamin the Brave' team.
I let Nicole know that we were on-board with the team's idea. She set up the team for us to join and begin fundraising. The amount of support our team received from our various communities in terms of both members joining and fundraising was like nothing we could have ever imagined. An incredibly dedicated 21 team members along with 479 generous donors managed to raise $87,349.47 for Campfire Circle. That's enough money to send 17 kids like Benjamin to 'sleepover' camp, as he calls it, for 2 weeks each. 17 kids will be afforded the opportunity to have a joyful, fun, adventure-filled, 'normal' 2 weeks away. Writing that last sentence as an oncology mum has me in tears. This time last year, summer camp was a given for Benjamin. This year it's been a 'wait-and-see' game. Wait and see what his test results are. Wait and see where we are in terms of his treatment. Wait and see what the pandemic looks like, as we now have an immunocompromised child. For something positive to come out of Benjamin's diagnosis, it truly is a silver lining for us, and I can't think of a better way to honour Benjamin's fight than to do so in the same spirit of the sweetest, most giving, big-hearted little boy I know.
With the pandemic participants had the option to run the race as it's always been done, down Yonge Street here in Toronto, or to run it virtually on a course you set yourself. Many of our teammates were able to participate in the larger race, however with COVID cases on the rise, we made the choice to run locally. A small group of our teammates asked if we would be comfortable if they joined our local virtual run and of course we said yes.
David and I stayed up late the night before the race finalized our virtual course with the added challenges of hitting some of Benjamin's favourite local spots and avoiding too much elevation - no easy feat in this area when the starting and finish line is in Bloor West Village!
Mother's Day morning, race day, I woke up just after 5AM to get things ready to host our friends and family that would be joining us in a few hours time. Luck was on our side and the forecast was perfect: sunshine but not too hot with a 0% chance of rain.
I set up the little gift packs we'd made for our team members which included replica 'Benjamin the Brave' capes for runners and their kids which had been custom-ordered by my former colleagues (trust the experiential team to go all-out!) and hand-delivered by my former boss, 'Benjamin the Brave' cookies that were made with love by my friend and owner of the BEST bakery in the GTA, The Sweetest Thing, and bouquets of tulips for all of the mums who had given up their Mother's Day morning, and likely their sleep-in and/or breakfast-in-bed, to support our family.
One by one the rest of my family began to stir. Without any prompting from David or my mum, who had come in specially from Ottawa for race day, Benjamin ran out from his room to where I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom and yelled, "Happy Mother's Day!" at the same time as he nearly bowled me over with one of his 'special Benjamin hugs' as he calls them.
Once we were dressed, David and I in our adult replica capes and 'Benjamin the Brave' colours, both kids in the 'Benjamin the Brave' t-shirts I'd had made for them for Valentine's Day, Ella in her replica cape and Benjamin in his one and only original cape, we made our way downstairs. Benjamin proudly gave a cape to my mum and to David's mum as part of their Mother's Day gift. As the virtual runners began to arrive Benjamin was bubbling over with excitement, handing out capes and talking a mile-a-minute. It dawned on me that though the gathering of people was just over ten people not counting our immediate family, it was the largest group we'd had visit us in over 2 years.
At 8AM the walkers departed, followed by the runners at 9AM. We all planned to meet up a couple of blocks from home and when we did we texted the grandmas who were at home with Benjamin and Ella to bring them to the front porch so that they could see the virtual team cross the 'finish line' all together. As we rounded the corner and approached our house there was no sign of anyone. As it turned out the kids had been having too much fun playing in the backyard and neither grandma had brought their phone outside to receive the message. It didn't matter. The reception we received from Benjamin and Ella in the backyard was the same as (almost) always: loud, excited and happy.
For me it was the most perfect way to spend Mother's Day morning. I got to spend it with my family and friends which included some of the best mothers I know, while honouring my sweet boy.
To our team captain for creating our team, thank you. To my former bandmates who said yes to supporting us time and again without hesitation, it has meant the world. To all of our team members, thank you for joining, for training, for racing, for fundraising and for spending your Mother's Day mornings with us, whether in person or in spirit. To all of our team's donors, thank you for your incredible generosity. Because of each and every one of you, families like ours will benefit more than we hope you'll ever know.
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