WOW! What a terrific week

Dear Wayne & his "Fantastic Crew!"

WOW! What a terrific week we have had here in Ocean City. This was our families first introduction to the "O.C." and we can't Believe In Tomorrow more for keeping us hopping. With so much stress involved in a sick child, to have someone care enough to take the reins and say "Go, have fun on us" was priceless.

Delaney fell into bed each night completely exhausted. She had the best time in the most unusual (for her!) ways. Surfing turned out to be a blast for her and the dinners with the families were really enjoyable for the whole family.

We really do appreciate all that was offered this week and can't thank you enough! You are a really special group doing a really special thing.

Fondly!

Joe, Jami, Grady & Delaney

This has been an exciting trip

Thank you, Believe In Tomorrow. I had a great time. I met great people. The view of the beach was great.

I went to Jolly Rogers, it was so fun. I had a golf lesson and tennis lesson. I never knew I was that good at sports. We went mini golfing and played lazertag at Planet Maze, which was a lot of fun.

This has been an exciting trip. I will most likely be back soon. Thank you so very much.

Thank you!

Love, Amanda (age 11)

P.S. Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Wayne!

You are all special angels

Thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality. Wayne and his magical helpers gave us the most amazing week. Thank you to all of your wonderful businesses for their patience and gifts, they helped make this such a special week for our family. We were so fortunate to meet the other families who were visiting as well. Dillion (as well as the rest of us) were able to to make friends with the other families and just "have fun" and forget about everything. We will never be able to thank you enough for everything. Believe In Tomorrow is such an amazing organization. You are all special angels that have been sent down to take care of our special angels. Thank you so much.

Harvey, Staci, Talor, Thomas & Dillion

Thank you for EVERYTHING!

Dear Believe In Tomorrow -

What a wonderful week! From the welcome basket to the dinners to the activities - everything was so great. I think the best thing was that Wayne did all the planning. After scheduling so many appointments, dealing with health insurance and coordinating prescriptions, it was nice to not have to think. And, the activities were very appropriate. I think Kailey liked everything - the OC Rocket, mini golf, Jolly Roger Water Park, and especially the Pirate Adventure (so much fun for a 5 year old). Scott really enjoyed the opportunity to try surfing - he even got up on one knee and one leg.

The volunteers at the cookout were phenomenal. Kailey loved the entertainment and the homemade food was delicious. Everyone was so friendly - a wonderful group.

The professional photographers were great and were so patient with all of us.

The unit is also so well furnished. We brought toys and games which stayed in the car. The umbrella, beachchairs and boogie boards are so nice to have around.

Thank you for EVERYTHING! This week was so much more than we expected!

Stacey, Scott and Kailey

Thank you for caring

It is Friday night. The last night of our vacation. As we pack up and clean out our belongings, it is hard to believe that tomorrow we will be back on the road to go home. We had an awesome vacation at Ocean City, a great "home" away from home at the Believe In Tomorrow House By The Sea. This week vacation was more than I imagined. All of the volunteers and staff were beyond friendly. The other families that were on vacation while we were here were great. Our family was whole again during our stay, we all became connected through our bad and happy moments. It is a shame that it has to end. We all enjoyed our stay. There were activities to accommodate everyone. The weather was awesome all week. Thank you for this family vacation. Every time we turned around we were surprised at what was offered to us.

Thank you for caring enough to take the time to gather donations for a great cause. I am sure that there are more families like ours that would not possibly be able to go on vacation if is wasn't for Believe In Tomorrow.

Wayne,

Keep up the good work - you do an awesome job

Staff,

You're beyond polite and considerate. - Thank you :o)

Believe In Tomorrow was an awesome experience.

-Anonymous (age 14)

Hats off to everyone!

Hats off to everyone for all the work you do to make Believe In Tomorrow possible. Everyone was just wonderful - the cookout was the most relaxing evening ever. The volunteers prepared great food and provided such enjoyable entertainment for the kids.

Wayne, thanks for all the tickets for events and food. The Splash Mt. day was so much fun and Kailan wore herself and everyone else out! If you go to Splash Mt., plan to go for the day -- take food, drinks, and extra clothes and stay from 10-6. The amusement park isn't much unless you have really small children but they will enjoy the kiddy rides.

The boat ride was good; golf was fun and everyone was very pleasant and made us feel welcome.

The "House By The Sea" is such a great home away from home. The little touches - special tea bags was so refreshing and very much appreciated. It was spotless when we came and in just excellent shape.

Thank you all volunteers and all who make this facility possible.
- Kailan's Grandma

With love and thanks

First and foremost I would like to thank you for all you did and with of the comfort you provided us. From the activities to the stay in the area - it was great. We had an exceptional time. The family enjoyed every day we spent here. It was very convenient to go back and forth to the beach with it not being so far. The cookout, the activities, everything was great. As much as we hate to leave we really enjoyed our stay and hopefully we would see you soon.

With love and thanks. God Bless.

Wonderful vacation in Deep Creek

To all at Believe In Tomorrow Children's Foundation,

Thank you for the wonderful vacation in Deep Creek. The Wisp house is gorgeous. On the drive up near Bear Creek there was a bear standing on his hind legs looking at the traffic on the side of the road. That excitement set the tone for the whole trip.

Wisp was generous and with the gift card we dune buggied, mountain coaster, ski lift to see the scenery, ate dinner once there and Brian's 13 year old brother Pat got to paintball.

The boys were so excited all the way home they talked about all the "firsts" they've done. They never did any of these adventures before.

At the house we saw many hummingbirds, deer (2), a wild turkey, rabbit and ground hog while sitting on the back deck.

Enclosed is a picture of Brian. The first day - Monday- we took him to Swallow Falls. He caught 3 fish.

We also took the boys white water rafting. Everyone slept well that night. The weather was so nice Brian said we should move there. He had a great time telling everyone that Monday at Clinic.

Thanks again for the best vacation.

Unforgettable week

There are no words that can truly capture the essence of our time at BIT. It has been the most incredible, amazing, unforgettable week of our lives. There were no worries - or even thoughts - about port access, chemo, doctors or hospitals! Even knowing what to expect, everything was still wondrous. The look of happiness in J.P.'s eyes and the glowing look on his face was beyond words. The time here will never be forgotten and we are eternally grateful.

Wayne - you rock- and so do all of the BIT sponsors (especially Tyler and Lee!).

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts,

Stacey, Dale, and J.P.

Just family together time!

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

I'm writing this note on the beach. It's the last day of our stay. Thank you for giving our family this wonderful vacation!

Next week I will reminisce of our carefree beach week at Ocean City, Maryland. No doctor appointments, work schedules or chauffeur duty! Just family together time!

Many thanks to your volunteers, staff and generous donors. Believe In Tomorrow's volunteers are all very kind, sweet people who are dedicated (and determined) to put smiles on our kids faces. Mr. Wayne Littleton has to be one of the best people we know. His kindness and compassion is truly one-of-a-kind. Mr. Littleton is Santa of the Beach although he doesn't look anything like Santa Claus.

Again, Thank you to all the very generous donors - people and businesses alike. What an action packed week you gave us!

The kids said their absolute favorite thing they did was spend 2 hours go carting. They had a blast. Joey, our 9 year old, loves the ocean. We spent many, many hours at the beach. It was great.

Ever since our oldest Jimmy age 14 was diagnosed with cancer our world has been turned upside down. We no longer called the shots of our day. Our schedule has been controlled by doctor appointments, chemo schedules and sickness.

This week was the best medicine for our family to focus on us - all of us. We used this week to enjoy each other and forget our crazy schedule.

Thank you for giving us some great memories. The pictures we took this week I'm sure will put smiles on our faces.

May God bless you all!
Patrick & Alyson, Jimmy, Carolyn & Joey



Thank you so much for allowing us to come down here. I love coming here! Thank you for giving us wonderful things to do while we were here. It was a blast!
Carolyn <3

This time here in OC was great! The thing I loved the most was the great OC Rocket! I loved it! I loved the beach a little less than the OC Rocket!
-Joey

Thank you Believe In Tomorrow! We had a wonderful time!
-Jimmy

Priceless Memories

I wanted to tell you how very much we enjoyed our stay at the BIT House by the Sea a few weeks ago. It was absolutely incredible and more than we could have ever expected. I can't begin to thank you enough. Everyone was wonderful and the generosity of everyone was truly amazing. We got to do so much while we were there but if we had to name the top three, it would be parasailing, surfing and driving the Coast Guard boat. The memories we formed and the smiles I saw were priceless. It was so nice to forget about the "every day" and having/being a sick child. I have just tonight finished writing all 14 thank you notes to send out to everyone!!! :o)

I wish I could do or say more than a simple thank you, but that's all I know and I hope each and every one involved in this knows how much we appreciate everything!

As wonderful as this was, we would be honored to be able to take a mountain retreat sometime.
Again, from the very bottom of our hearts, thank you! We appreciate it more than you will ever know!!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

We wanted to express our sincerest gratitude for the recent opportunity our family had to stay at the Children's House By The Sea. It was so much more than we ever expected, we all had such a wonderful time. Everyday was filled with so much excitement, the kids never wanted to leave.

We visited the beach, at least once a day. Some of our favorite times were in the early evening when there was practically no one around. The kids really enjoyed playing in the surf and sand, not to mention looking for seashells. We were so excited to find out we would have our family photo done at the beach, it's going to be a great keepsake.

On Tuesday evening we were treated to a lovely bar-b-que on the deck of the Children's House. We met so many wonderful volunteers, and other guests too. The children were entertained by a magician and a clown, while the adults had an opportunity to chat. I love looking at our pictures from that evening; my children have such big smiles on their faces.

Another one of our favorite adventures was when we went on a pirate cruise. It was such an interactive experience, all the children got to participate. One of the best moments was when the kids got to shoot water canons at the pirates we met along the way. Even the adults enjoyed themselves, thanks to the very friendly and creative crew.

One evening we took the Rocket speed boat ride on the ocean. We had the unexpected surprise of seeing so many playful dolphins. The captain was so kind, he stopped the boat so we could watch the dolphins play, and take pictures too. On another day, we also got another boat ride from the Coast Guard of Ocean City. Once we got out in the ocean, they actually let the kids onboard steer the ship! When we returned to base, they gave us a tour of their facilities too.

We finally finished out the week by going to the Jolly Roger Amusement and Water Park. We spent the morning in the water park going down many fun slides. We spent the afternoon at the amusement park. There were so many fun things to do; we were all exhausted by the end of the day.

As you can see, we had so many fun adventures; we couldn't possibly list them all. We are so grateful that our entire family was able to experience this trip together. We have so many memories we will cherish forever! Once again, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you!

Not a retreat, but a respite for my soul

Ever since diagnosis, not a minute has gone by without fearing death for my son. Living with fear is one of the most draining, terrifying, nightmare-producing, torturing and relentless existence. It is an unending scream in your heart, but as a divorced mother, and one that has no support by the non-custodial father and no family in the area, a very lonely one. The scream stays within. The tears are contained by the "everything is okay" smile. the truth of living in fear is locking in a treasure box deep within the soul- with no place to unravel.

Ever since the day of diagnosis, a single mother abandons everything. The comfort of her bed is exchanged for a hard folding chair in the hospital. The taste of food, all types of food, is concealed by the constant taste of coffee in the mouth to keep us going. The relaxing luxury of a bubble bath is replaced by a race of a shower listening for moaning pain of your child. You don't sleep. You just keep going because you have to. And you don't stop because you know that if you do - you won't start resting, but you will start sobbing until the sobs turn into cries and the cries turn into screams, and your son will hear you - and remember you are the "everything will be okay" mom. So you keep going, exhausted... and one day you decide to come to "Believe In Tomorrow."

When we opened the door of this unit #2 in the Believe In Tomorrow House By The Sea, we were greeted by the colors and the beautiful decorations. The yellow walls, the seashell lamps, the order and cleanliness of the unit, and the space was so inviting. You could smell the peace. You could touch the hope. You could embrace the moment.

For once in two years, I closed the door in a wonderful room of my own with an amazing bathroom, and I let the contained tears flow freely. My boys were sufficiently apart in an amazing and inviting bedroom equipped with nightlights that made them not fear the darkness. This was a safe place for me to let my feelings "unravel." A safe harbor. Not a retreat, but a respite for my soul.

In that master bedroom, the pictures of other families watched over me. I could hear their voices telling me "we understand." And I knew, they knew, and I realized I so much needed to stop. To stop thinking about death, if only for a week, and think about life. Let life hug me like a warm blanket in the freezing snow. And stay still...

What I've seen this week broke all the dreams that my imagination could handle: I saw my son turn into a pirate, a fisherman, a golfer, a speedboat "captain," a seagull, a dolphin, a Coast Guard member, a biker, a mermaid... but most of all I've seen him surf.

My son does not swim, not even float. When I stood on that beach at eight in the morning and I saw his silhouette against the blue sky on a blue surfboard over the waves... and it was real - I could not believe my eyes. Who could have told me a year ago in a hospital room where my son was struggling for his life... that I would see him surfing?

Believe In Tomorrow? I'd better start saying I cannot even believe in this week of a piece of heaven on earth where I've seen my son Living and my thoughts of death have become quieter and the waves of life entice me to press on.

I believe in today. I believe in this week. And the memories of these days I hope will never grow weak, but become stronger as I learn to trust each day to god and believe in tomorrow.

Thank you.

Thank you for sweet dreams within these walls. I can breathe better now. The magic of the dolphins hoping behind my surfing kids is a picture that I will cherish all my life.

It was amazing...

We want to thank everybody who gave us a chance to come and enjoy Ocean City Maryland. We enjoyed the Pirate Adventure and many more stuff. When we saw everything it was amazing, we couldn't believe it. It was awesome, very awesome, we couldn't wait to get on the games. Our favorite place to eat was Taco Loco, it was delicious and Hoopers Crab House, it was delicious. We loved the O.C. Rocket cause we got to see the beautiful dolphins.

Thanks so much and God Bless You!

Saul & Family