A Retreat From Illness, A Believe In Tomorrow Family Blog

2009-06-22T09:42:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-29T09:11:00.002-04:00

"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...

2009-05-14T08:57:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-19T08:49:00.001-04:00

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.

2009-03-18T09:08:00.001-04:00

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!!

2009-03-13T08:51:00.001-04:00

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

2009-03-13T08:44:00.002-04:00

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

2009-02-16T08:57:00.001-05:00

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

2009-01-29T10:59:00.000-05:00

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

a family for the first time

2008-12-18T17:07:00.000-05:00

Dear Wayne and Believe in Tomorrow family,

We have gone through a life changing experience since Latasha’s diagnosis of leukemia in November. It as a shock, treatment was continuous and fast paced. She missed everything from prom to football games, trips and such that make your senior year of high school so fun. By God’s grace she is now on the road to recovery and has been in remission the past 2 months.

This trip has allowed us to vacation together as a family for the first time. Due to varying reasons we have never stayed away from home together on vacation. The hard work and dedication of Wayne, the staff, volunteers and donors have allowed us to breathe again.

We don’t know how to thank the many people who have made this wonderful trip possible. We have truly had a great time here!

Thank you again!
Lots of Love,

James Sr., James Jr, Lynn and LaTasha

Words alone can’t express...

2008-12-17T10:56:00.000-05:00

Words alone can’t express our gratitude. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! This vacation will be remembered for so long. So thank you for the memories that we have right now. The house is gorgeous! It was such a pleasure to stay here and spend time together. Watching the sunset out across the bay is an image that I’m sure we’ll remember for awhile. The neighbors were so sweet and kind.

Some of the activities that we did were jet ski, parasail, go on the O C Becket, play mini golf, go to the Jolly Roger Water Park, and much more! I’ll have to say the parasailing and jet skis are our favorite.

So thanks again for this amazing vacation! We sure do hope that many more families have the privilege to do what we got to do.

Thank You, Gracias, Danke, Gracie

2008-12-05T09:01:00.000-05:00

Thank You, Gracias, Danke, Gracie, in whatever language you choose we just want to say Thank You.

Words cannot express the joy we felt as we opened the door to this house. You have given us a wonderful haven to escape too. Wayne and all of your employees are exceptional.

At times we feel or felt unworthy to enjoy all of this wonderful gratitude, but as morning came and we rose to the sun rising over the bay we just smiled and said Thank You.

The Best Vacation Ever
Joe, Janice, Semone, Lauren, Nicholas and Joshua
CWRAMC – HOORAH !!!!

2008-12-05T08:58:00.000-05:00

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

The Strawberry family would like to express its sincerest gratitude and appreciation for the heartfelt work of the Believe In Tomorrow National Children’s foundation. Through this phenomenal foundation my family and I have experienced some of the most rewarding, loving, and cherished vacation time ever. Our visits to the Believe In Tomorrow house on Wisp Mountain in Deep Creek, Md. were truly enriched and have provided many special and lasting memories.

We were introduced to your foundation because of our daughter Daryn, who was diagnosed at 18 months with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. Coupled with our strong faith and trust in God, the Believe In Tomorrow foundation has provided comfort, care and encouragement to what would be considered a long, hard journey. For that we are truly grateful.

As a family I can’t tell you how appreciative we are that you provided Daryn and ourselves a break from the routine of hospital visits and medicine regiments. It was an absolute joy to see the smiles created by the generosity provided through Believe In Tomorrow and to experience the beauty and richness of the open air at the Wisp Mountain house.

Keep up the great work.

Sincerely,
Bernard, Charlene, Daryn & Lynell

We enjoy watching the boats and sunset on the deck.

2008-10-17T09:10:00.002-04:00

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for this wonderful chance to stay at this house. My husband and daughter enjoyed fishing in their back yard. The neighbors were wonderful and helpful. We enjoy watching the boats and sunset on the deck.

The activities kept us busy but were enjoyable. The best part was getting together at the house by the sea for the Bar-B-Que enjoying every bodies company. We made new friends.

This opportunity for us to get away from all the stress of work, and treatments, it let us remember all the fun we had. Again Thank You.

Ryan, Amy, Emily and Justyn

Fantastic long weekend!

2008-10-09T09:14:00.002-04:00

Dear Dawn and Wayne,
Thank you so very much for a fantastic long weekend!
We had a wonderful time, and love the beach in the fall!
I’ve attached some photos of our many fun adventures.
Thank you again for giving our family this amazing opportunity.
Sincerely,
Cynthia

A wonderful time

2008-10-06T08:43:00.001-04:00

We want to Thank Believe in Tomorrow from the bottom of our hearts for everything that you have done for us. Jared (10) and Jadon (5) have been crashing in less than 5 minutes every night, which is record time for them. Jared who was diagnosed in October of 2006 with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma – Non Hodgkins – has been going through chemotherapy since then. This has been a wonderful vacation for him. I think @ first he did not like the taste of the Ocean – But then it grew on him.

We got to do and see so much this week – we walked the boardwalk – visited the Coastguard – it was to rough to go for a ride – but we got a grand tour of everything.

The volunteers from the Ocean Pines Marina Yacht Club took us fishing and site seeing from the Ocean – We got to see some dolphins – which was amazing. We took a ride on the OC Rocket – and that was a rush – The cookout was awesome. Great Food – And Margaritas – The kids had a great time @ the magic show – arts and crafts – and lollipop the clown. All the kids and families were laughing and having a wonderful time – So good to see everyone laughing and having a good time – even through the rough times in our young ones lives – We learned a bit about Golf from Trish – Anyway – We had an absolute Blast – and never even imagined all of this— Thank you – Thank you – Thank you to all the volunteers- to Wayne – to everyone who helps keep Believe in Tomorrow alive – Thanks for making some Great Memories that will last a lifetime.

Love Jared, Jadon, Heidi and Jay

Perfect!

2008-09-26T10:42:00.002-04:00

In one word – Perfect! The house is gorgeous, the weather was perfect, all of the activities and events were fun and enjoyed by our whole family. Thank you to everyone involved in this fabulous organization. We feel so lucky and thankful to have had this opportunity for the perfect family vacation. Since January when our son was diagnosed with AML, we have been living as two families of two. This week, however, we were able to relax and reconnect as one family of four.

The pirate adventure was a big hit with our family as was the fishing, water park at Frontiertown, and of course we all loved the beach. A million thanks to Wayne, Brian and all of the local folks who contribute their time and resources to provide families like ours with this outstanding vacation experience!

Tim, Krista, Aleksandra, Aidan

2008-09-19T08:33:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful week.

Our thanks go out to the Believe in Tomorrow organization. Wayne is really on top of things. He kept our 14 year old son busy with many activities. All the volunteers he has are wonderful people as well. We enjoyed the cookout, the fishing trip, golf, tennis and eating both crabs and Mexican food.

Our son Bobby was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma a year ago April. He has made many positive strides since then. I know he enjoyed himself as well. We look forward to returning someday.

Take care and Thanks again,

2008-09-09T10:15:00.002-04:00

We would like to thank all of you at "Believe In Tomorrow" for a wonderful beach vacation. The condo was fabulous and had everything we needed. Wayne and all of his staff were so nice. They had the whole week lined up for us and the kids were never bored.

Our son Cody has been thinking and saving for the beach ever since he relapsed last November. We were even late for check-in to the beach house by 24 hours because Cody was in the hospital with a fever. Cody has Stage IV Neuroblastoma for which there is no cure. We do not know what the future holds for our son. We cherish every moment we have with him, some are more stressful than others. That week gave us time to forget about the hospital and his treatments. The gift of great memories which you provide is invaluable. It's value can't be measured.

Cody started the next phase of his treatment in New York this week. It is an extremely painful treatment that he must endure. One thing is for sure, he has all of his great beach memories to get him through this. We can't thank you all enough.

Thank you!!!!
Sincerly,Mickey

What you do is truly amazing

2008-09-05T16:28:00.002-04:00

It's very difficult to find the words to say thank you for all you've done. You're caring attitude and generosity are above and beyond. I could never have even imagined such a wonderful vacation and such wonderful people. What you do is truly amazing and we can't thank you enough. It was an incredible week and just being able to forget about cancer and chemo was awesome. Thank you again from the very bottom of our hearts.

Gratefully,

Stacey (J.P.'s mom)

2008-09-02T16:04:00.002-04:00

Dear Believe In Tomorrow,

We had the most wonderful week. Everything was great. Thank you so much for allowing us to do all the wonderful things you provided. The kids loved the waterpark @ Jolly Rogers, and fishing on the boat. The cookout on 66th St was so much fun. Lollipop is the best! It is so nice that the volunteers donate their time and energy to families that have been through so much. Thank all of you again.

John, Brandy, Lil John, Athena, Paige & Maleah

WOW! What a terrific week

2008-08-29T16:13:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-28T16:43:00.003-04:00

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

2008-08-27T14:53:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-08-15T16:27:00.005-04:00

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