Our Small Miracles program provides customized experiences or gifts for children who are undergoing cancer treatment.  These Small Miracles are created by members of Team Endure to Cure who have made a choice to push themselves beyond their perceived limitations to reach the finish line of endurance events of all kinds.  They never ask why they are doing what they do because they know why.

Mark Hanson of Greenfield, WI is a cancer survivor and an avid mountain biker.  He competes in mountain bike races as a Team Endure to Cure member whose fundraising effort creates Small Miracles.  From his own experience fighting cancer, he knows how lonely things can seem during treatment.  And from having children of his own, he knows how important it is to keep them entertained!

His fundraising created a Small Miracle for  Kiera, a shy 2-year-old girl who is bravely fighting a form of brain cancer called Pilocytic Astrocytoma Posterior Fossa.  Her family makes hour-long drives to the hospital from their home so in addition to the downtime in the car, there are countless hours of trying to keep her occupied in the waiting room of the hospital and during her uncomfortable treatments.  As such, it was only natural for Kiera to request “a pink iPod to listen to Jack Johnson songs and play My Little Pony and Elmo apps” for her Small Miracle.

While she was rather shy at first, she looked like a kid in a candy store once we got her iPod Touch set up.  Kiera’s parents were grateful and wanted us to pass along their thoughts to our team members and our donors:  “We appreciate Endure to Cure for helping us out during this difficult time.  One of the big challenges we have is keeping Kiera entertained, especially during the long car rides and waiting time at the hospital.  This gift will definitely help out with that and we are so thankful for your help!”

This Small Miracle was made possible by the effort of Mark Hanson, our Team Endure to Cure member who raised funds and competed in the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival mountain bike race.  Thank you to all of our selfless donors and sponsors who support our cause to make our mission possible.  If you are interested in becoming somebody’s hero today, click here to learn more!