"To see him smile, and laugh, and count each day how many days are left here on vacation is priceless."

June 1, 2009

Dear Wayne, volunteers, etc.

I want to thank you sincerely for all you've done for me and my family, Andrew, who is four years old was diagnosed with Leukemia a few weeks after our youngest child was born last May. So this past year was a lot to deal with! This is actually the first time Andrew has been anywhere outside of home with his immune system. To see him smile, and laugh, and count each day how many days are left here on vacation is priceless. He is so appreciative to his siblings, Mom & Dad who've also been in for so long! It is so beautiful, clean and child oriented! I am so thankful for all the food you provided for us. We would never be able to afford all you've done for us! Andrew loved running on the beach and the deck parties!

All of you must be really special people! I was telling my husband how all of you week after week just try to make others happy! That's amazing!

Sincerely,

Anthony, Shellie, Anthony, Aleah, Aaron, Andrew & Abigail

All Aboard!

Austin enjoys steering the train!

"Thanks for letting us feel like home"

May 29, 2009

Dear Believe in Tomorrow staff and volunteers,

Words won't be enough to express our thanks. The days we spend here heal and treat the rest of the hard days of the year. Thanks for letting us feel like home. Mr. Wayne, your smile, help, and welcoming are encouraging and fill our days with happiness.

Thanks for the rest of the staff and volunteers who are behind the scenes!

Nesma's family

Not your average bear...

Complete Believe in Tomorrow House Bear!

"Just What the Doctor Ordered!"

Dear Believe in Tomorrow,

We would like to thank you for a wonderful weekend! Faith had a very hard winter-being in and out of the Hospital a lot. She loves the beach so this weekend was just what the Doctor ordered for her! She had a great time.

Thank you,

Chip, Tammy and Faith

I spy...

Seymour and his family have fun watching the ocean.

Three's a Crowd...

Ethan and his family enjoy a day at the beach.

Father/Daughter walk along the beach...

Alexis and her Dad walk along the beach at the Believe in Tomorrow Beach House.

A True Blessing

Oct '09

Wayne & Staff:

The short stay was wonderful as usual~Believe in Tomorrow is a true blessing and will always have a special place in our hearts! Thank you for all you do & for all you touch

See you next time!

Dan, Shelli & Hannah

Words can't express the gratitude!

October 23, 2009

Words can't express the gratitude!

Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity. It has been a very long and hard year for all our family. We have been in the U.S. for three years. Niki got sick only after one year of us being here.

This was our first time near a beach here in the U.S. All of us had so much fun even if it was just a short weekend. Kids don't want to go back home! The house by the beach was so cozy and we felt like we were at home.

We definitely want to come back here for a week in the summer. Thank you for the gift certificates!


Thank you from:

Niki, Andy, Alma & Tani


God Bless you all for all you do.

Family Day at the Beach

October 18, 2009

Thank you for a wonderful long weekend. We were here this past July and had such a great time that everyone wanted to come back. The weather was dismal (non-stop pouring rain blowing winds, cold) but we have had a great weekend nonetheless. The weather took a small break so that Friday afternoon we did get a chance to visit the beach. But you know what? It was fun anyhow! We did not expect to have the gift certificates, and Dale loved the arcade.

The family time was exactly what we needed. We spent a lot of time playing games and just hanging out at the condo.

Thank you for all of the care, concerns, and love that you gave to us this weekend. We appreciate it so much.

Fondly,

Dale, Claudia, Kyle, Nancy & Gregg

"This place is awesome."

Dear Wayne and Volunteers,

Thank you so much for all you have done for our family during our stay. Brasen was diagnosed with Leukemia in September of 2008 when he was 4 years old. He is now 5 and this is his first true beach experience which he would not have experienced without Believe In Tomorrow giving him and our family the opportunity to come and stay at a wonderful place with wonderful people for a week and experience so many things in Ocean City. Brasen said, "This place is awesome."

THANK YOU!

To everyone who makes Believe In Tomorrow possible, we want to say THANK YOU! Our family has not had time like this since our son was diagnosed with Acute Pre B Lymphoblastic Leukemia on 2/14/2008. It was very relaxing and we had a great time. We met great people, made new friends and were just a family again. Please say thank you to all who made this vacation possible for us. Wayne, you "rock."

Love,
Don, Leah, Samantha, Nathan & Zachary

We will never forget your gift!

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

On May 15th, 2008, our four year old son Caleb was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Our family includes Mom, Dad, Zachary 18, Spencer 15, Maggie 11, and Caleb is now 5. Our lives were forever changed on day as we entered the world of chemo, radiation, sugeries, blood infections and one very sick little boy. It has been frightening, sad and exhausting to be suddenly caught up in this non-stop battle against cancer. It is a place we never dreamt we would be, a regular visitor and almost at home on 4th floor Oncology at Children's Hospital in DC.

This House By The Sea has been a huge blessing. There is no way to express the depth of our gratitude for your gift to us. No schedule, no mail, no phone, just our family with a whole week to do whatever. The house is cozy and clean, the beach (our favorite spot) was so amazing, and all the extras really made our stay much more enjoyable.

We know that volunteers and a ton of work make this all a reality for families like us. Our family wishes would could hug the neck of everyone involved, look you in the eye and say THANK YOU.

We have new memories, new photos and lots of shells (and sand) to take home with us. We will never forget your gift!

With Love,
The Hawbakers

I loved Ocean City

I loved Ocean City. Thank you for letting us visit. I want to come back again. I loved everything, especially the Pirate Adventure and mini golf.

From,
Carly (4)
Rachel (7)
Matthew (14)
Erin & Doug

so grateful for the opportunity

Dear Friends,

I was to thank you for the wonderful week this summer that your organization provided for me and my family at the "Home on the Bay."

We are so grateful for the opportunity you provided for us to relax and enjoy some family time together. Muriel has six more weeks of chemo-therapy and she will soon be on her way to recovery from bone cancer.

The work that your staff and volunteers do is awesome. May the good Lord bless you for your generosity and thoughtfulness.

Regards,
Ms. Edith, Grandmother of Muriel

Words don't adequately express...

Dear Wayne,

What a wonderful week that we had with you and your amazing organization. Words don't adequately express the love and care that we felt all week while in Ocean City.

We were able to rest and recharge when we wanted, and then go have fun the rest of the time. What a treat. We came away from the week with some wonderful memories that we made together.

Thank you to both you and your volunteers. We know that you worked very hard to make our week wonderful.

Dale, Claudia, Kyle, Nancy & Greg

time with the family!!!

Thank you for a wonderful week. Everything was great. The people here are awesome, the activities were fantastic. This place is great for the kids to get away from everything and to just their time with the family!!!

Thanks so much!

time together

What a week! Our familly got just what we needed... time together.
Fishing was awesome, the place was fantastic and all the activities were wonderful. Thanks to all who put in such effort to give these kids the time of their lives.

God Bless,
Eric, Mena, Bryce, Trenton

we are beyond grateful

Wow - What an amazing experience this has been! Even though the weather didn't seem to be on our side this week, we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! What you guys do for families is life-saving. Our daughter Adisyn (13 months) was just released from Hereshy Hospital after a 15 day stay for pneumonia. Vacation wasn't even looking to be a possibility this summer, but Believe In Tomorrow made it happen. And we are beyond grateful for that. With Adi's diagnosis of SMA type1 (spinal muscular atrophy) traveling doesn't always work in our favor. But with the space here it allowed us to bring our nurse with us and enjoy every minute together without contantly worrying. Thank you for helping us rejuvenate our family.

Ryan, Katie, Mallory (2), Adi Grace (13 mo)

a chance to reconnect

What a wonderful vacation this has been for my family at the Believe In Tomorrow House on the Bay. It definitely gave us a chance to reconnect from our hectic schedules between hospital and work.

The staff, volunteers and merchants did an amazing job of keeping us entertained, fed and very happy. We definitely feel refreshed and ready to tackle whatever lies ahead.

Your thoughtful, caring gift will be with us forever.

Fondly,
Linette & Ron, Ariel, Gabey, Muriel, Nathan & Danie

magical week

We are so sad to say goodbye to the House on the Bay and this magical week. I don't think we've ever had such a fun packed vacation. For the past 2 years we've been in and out of hospitals focused on heart failure and waiting for "the call" for transplant. You forget what life was like before, and get focused on appointments, hospitalizations, medications, surgeries, fear of the unknown, fear of the known and a ton of hope. It almost seems normal to call the cardiologist to let her know the 8 year old flushed her sisters PIC line but if it's any consolation we are pretty sure she did it correctly.

You guys helped us have a week of our old carefree life. The kids were so excited to be here doing all these fantastic activities. We surfed, swam, fished, had a great time at the waterpark and on the pirate ship. You guys fed us so well we're all going home a few pounds heavier. We are so thankful to everyone who donated meals, time, activities and this wonderful house. We are going home with wonderful memories and pictures that have re-energized us as a family.

Mahalo!
Andre, Holly, Aaron, Malia, Analise, Liam and AnaJoy

We are truly grateful and warmed by all of ya...

Dear Wayne --

How could we forget to write you a note of thanks as well :) Many thank yous to you for pulling all of this together! You, the other folks at Believe In Tomorrow and all of the "behind the scenes" folks have put together a special memory for us.

We are truly grateful and warmed by all of ya. This has been the best time away from "it all!" Lots of joy and lots of smiles have come our way this past week. Keep it going as I know there are many other families that will be blessed by the time spent here.

Take care, it was a pleasure seeing ya!

You guys ROCK!!!

You guys ROCK!!! Unbelievable experience! Everyone was so nice to our family. We would not have been able to get away without you. This community was so supportive of us. We really enjoyed the whole experience. So many people were so amazing to us that we will never be able to thank them all but we will sure try. Thank you so much for everything. The volunteers and Wayne just made our whole summer.

Sincerely,
Jim, Wanita, Alex, Tori and Jimmy

The best week in my entire life

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

Thank you sooooo much for letting my family and I stay in one of your apartments. This has been the best week in my entire life. I mean going to all the wonderful places like Planet Maze, Jolly Rogers, Hoopers, oh my gosh the food at Mancini's was out of this world. My favorite part was when my family became awesome friends with our neighbors in unit #4 and going to Planet Maze and playing lazer tag and going mini golfing and I got 3 hole-in-ones. For real I did!!! :) I am going to cherish this forever.

Thank you,
Nick
Age 11

The Fears Family

The entire week was awesome...

WOW!!! I don't know where to begin. The entire week was awesome and made me speechless (which is hard for me). We were able to bond as a family again which will be a time we can cherish forever. Mr. Wayne, the volunteers, the passes, food, ocean were amazing. We don't know how to thank you enough. Nick was on cloud nine the entire time. It was such a happy tearful joy to see him. Our dream has to come to an end. Hopefully we can visit again.

Sincerely from the bottom of our hearts,
The Mikolinis Family

So much fun together.

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

WOW! What a wonderful week! :) We all had so much fun together. Mr. Wayne and all of the volunteers were so friendly. You can tell they are passionate about what they do. Each of them were always working so hard to ensure the families were enjoying their time here. Everywhere you looked there was a smiling face cleaning, gardening or just helping. Thank you so much to all of you!

This past week has been very relaxing for our family. The weather was beautiful and all of the activities were certainly memorable. We all can't wait to come back and visit with our friends.

Much Love and Appreciation,

Shannon, Amanda, Corbin, Rylee and Dalaney

Wonderful Adventures

Thank you again for our dream vacation! The kids have been telling all their friends about the wonderful adventures we all had. It was a very special week.

Thanks again,

Holly

Away from the hustle and bustle...

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

How blessed we are to have such an amazing place to get away from all of the troubles, hustle and bustle of our lives. The Believe In Tomorrow foundation is truly a "Gift". We feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to come here and just relax and have fun.

This place is so lovely, as are the people who give so much of themselves to ensure that we have a great time. Thank you all! A million times over and over again. The children had so much fun and swear this, The House By The Sea, is the best place, ever!

As a parent, and mother, I was thrilled to be in such a nice, warm environment where everything I need is provided. The memories we made here will forever be etched in our minds and our hearts!

Much Love.
The Landsdowne Family

Dear Angels from Believe In Tomorrow,

Dear Angels from Believe In Tomorrow,

How truly wonderful our stay was! Now that our little boy's health has stabilized, we have enjoyed the MANY leisure activities you offered to us. We enjoyed boat rides, amusement park rides, water slides, golf outings, wild island ponies, and the beautiful ocean and beach. The delicious family meals at restaurants and picnics were so very welcomed as at times we were starving but too tired to prepare a meal!

Christopher is blessed to have wise, experienced doctors, medical procedures to make chemo and radiation bearable, drugs to kill the bad cells and drugs to stave off the nausea. Our entire family, however, is blessed to experience the gentle caring and love expressed to us through your empathetic volunteers.

We thank you and pray for your families, too.

Love,

Ray, Kelly, Delaney and Christopher

You have gathered a great group of volunteers ...

Dear friends of Believe In Tomorrow,

Let me start by saying, "Wow!" This trip exceeded my expectations on every level. I was expecting a great condo and the beach. I got that and so much more. The activities that you offered us were awesome. Both children enjoyed the Pirate Adventure, Frontier Town, and Jolly Rogers. Jake loved his surf lesson. (Lee and his two boys were so kind and patient with him.)

You have gathered a great group of volunteers who could be seen watering plants, scrubbing the fence, cooking us dinner, etc. Each day I saw "someone doing something," and that is why this house looks so great. Again, you surpassed my expectations by a mile.

Having a child with cancer has been the hardest thing our family has ever experienced. Our daughter has suffered physically, and our own son has had more to deal with than any 9-year-old should. Being a sibling of a sick child is very tough. Like most people, their father and I work full time. Believe In Tomorrow has given all four of us a wonderful week to reconnect, play, rest and just be a family. We will never forget this gift you've given us.

I really can't say enough.

Fondly,
The McCarter family

Believe In Tomorrow -

Thank you all so much for everything you all have done for us and given us during our stay at the House By The Sea. This has been the best mini-vacation our family has had since Austin was diagnosed with retinoblastoma.

We have been able to be a family, relax, rejuvenate and spend more time with both of our boys, especially our oldest, Landon. He has had a wonderful time playing at the beach.

We are truly grateful for everything Mr. Wayne, the volunteers and the sponsors have done for us this week. This has absolutely been an amazing week!

Thank you all again,
God bless you all!
Amanda

...came to our family's rescue

"Thank you" just doesn't seem sufficient. Believe In Tomorrow has helped our family more than you can imagine over the past 2.5 years. Having a child diagnosed with cancer literally rocks your world. You lose a sense of balance and of peace. During the most difficult times, Believe In Tomorrow came to our family's rescue. Your respite homes gave us the opportunity to enjoy each other, have fun together, and regain that sense of balance and peace. We have been blessed with the opportunity to visit each of your homes and each time we have gone home rejuvenated, re-connected, rested and with memories that will last a lifetime. This trip will probably go down as the best of all - to see our son finally off chemo and enjoying life was wonderful!! He is truly blossoming right before our eyes. So, though it doesn't seem like enough - THANK YOU!! Believe In Tomorrow has blessed our family and we appreciate everything everyone has done for us!!

There aren’t enough words to express...

Dear Believe in Tomorrow – Volunteers and especially Wayne,

We feel so lucky and special to have been invited to stay at the house. I didn’t know what to expect since my kids are a little older (22,18,14) but they had a great time. We met so many nice families and my kids loved playing with the younger ones. All of the activities were awesome (go karts, Hoopers, LaHacienda, surf lessons, bike riding, O.C. Rocket, the water part, portrait on the beach, but we especially enjoyed the cookout.) There aren’t enough words to express how grateful we are. This trip came at the perfect time because we just found out that our 14 year old daughter who had Hodgkins Lymphoma for the past 10 months is cancer free so we really could celebrate.

Thank you so much.
Love,
Sandy, Randy, Ryan and Brandy

More than we ever imagined

Our stay at the Believe in Tomorrow House by the sea was fantastic. We were treated so special and it was more than we ever imagined. One of the most memorable nights was the cook-out. Everyone was so nice, the food was great, and the other special families we met will be in our hearts forever. We also have the portrait on the beach of our family and all of the other families so we can look back and remember everyone. I didn’t know what to expect because my kids are 22, 18, and 15 but we really bonded and spent the whole week together. Surf lessons, go kart riding, bike riding, nice dinners, and relaxing on the beach together. We also loved the amazing water part and of course the O.C. Rocket where we even saw dolphins up close. I can’t thank-you enough for letting us be able to share this wonderful experience after such difficult times. Please share my thank-you with all involved in the Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation. Ihope you all know how truly special you are.

Believe In Tomorrow,

This week has been wonderful. Our kids love the ocean and couldn’t get enough. When we first arrived, Alexis said “Can we stay here forever?” After a week of fun the question still remains the same.

This was a welcome break from our everyday lives, dr. appts. and work. We really appreciate it along with the lovely staff and cool activities.

To the other families; create lots of memories, take plenty of pictures, stay strong, pray often and know that God heals and everything will be okay.

I hope we’ll be back again and the kids want to give you a very BIG THANK YOU!!!

My family and I thank you sooo much!!

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

I had an amazing stay here. I have not stayed here in a long time so I enjoyed coming back. It was so much fun and I loved what was in the basket. My family and I thank you sooo much!!

Love,
Alexandria, Kaylah, Kimberly and Jason
<3 <3

Believe In Tomorrow,

We cannot thank you enough for the wonderful weekend that we spent in the mountains. We would not have been able to give our children that opportunity without you. With increasing medical bills and the tough economic times directly impacting our family, it was so nice to have that kind of time together as a family. We only wish we could have spent more time there. The kids really enjoyed ski lessons; and we really enjoyed seeing them happy. We created life long family memories that weekend. You have truly been a blessing to us. We very much look forward to spending some time in Ocean City soon. Thank you for giving us something to look forward to as we go through these difficult times.

Thank you,

Sofia, Roxann, Arthur, Aaron, Tuhleal

Dear Wayne and Believe in Tomorrow Staff –

Thank you – Thank you! Once again for a wonderful getaway with Weston (5), Maya (3) and Grandma! We had such a memorable time last summer and were so pleased that Dawn called us with a last minute cancellation for the week. Weston – who is now 5 ½ , was diagnosed with ALL – Leukemia in Nov. 05, he still continues with his LTM treatment and thank God is doing well. With lots of love and prayers along with retreats as wonderful as yours, it truly makes us realize how lucky we really are! Your B.I.T. organization is our best kept secret back in J.J. We only hope that one day there may be retreats opened up at the Jersey Shore! God Bless You all – The smiles on our kiddies and my Mom’s faces were just priceless! We hope to see you again next summer!!!

Love

Paula, Maya & Weston & Grandma

joy and excitement

Thank you very much for the wonderful family vacation. We can’t remember the last time that we heard Brianna laugh so much with pure joy and excitement.

It was obvious to us how much the local community supports the Believe In Tomorrow organization --- everyone knew who we were and bent over back wards to make this vacation one we will remember forever. Our family had a great time at the Jolly Roger Amusement and Water Park, Planet Mabe, bike riding, the OC Rocket, the wonderful dining at Hooper’s (thanks for that great Maryland experience), and the first ever fishing and parasailing experience that our children have experienced.

Thanks again for the wonderful opportunity to relax and reconnect as a family. The house at the bay is a beautiful home w/wonderful neighbors.

Laurie, Brandon, Bryce, Brianna