March 17, 2007

A Celebration Of Ben

March 29th will be the first anniversary of Ben's death. Melinda, Madie, Lily and I will be spending the day together remembering Ben. We've got a couple of private activities planned, but would still love to hear from you if you can catch us.

We'll also be hosting A Celebration Of Ben at 2 PM on Sunday, April 1st out at the memorial garden at the Anschutz Cancer Pavilion at University Hospital. We're having his celebration where he had his radiation treatment and we (with the fund raising help of our neighbor) have a plaque in his memory. The center is closed on Sunday, so you'll need to come around to the building to the garden. We'll have a few fun activities and snacks in addition to the remembrance:

Stuffed Animal Drive - Mr. Bill, the receptionist at the radiation treatment center, is among the many amazing people who helped Ben and us through his fight with brain cancer. He had a really good eye for knowing when Ben was in need of a pick-me-up and would dig a stuffed animal out from his bag. Ben was never too tired or grumpy to take a stuffed animal home with us. We're hoping to keep Mr. Bill's stuffed animal bag full for a while and pass along some love and hugs to the children currently in treatment there. We'll be collecting stuffed animals, tying a yellow ribbon (Ben's favorite color) around them and putting on a short note of hope to the family who gets the animal. Things to keep in mind:

  • The animals must be new.
  • Nothing bigger than a breadbox. A fifty foot gorilla seems like a good idea until you try to take it into a treatment session.

Fund Raising - Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer related deaths in children. We've got a long fight ahead of us and we need your help. Please make a contribution to one of these charities in memory of Ben:

Thanks again for the love and support that you showed to Ben and to our family. We hope to see you on April 1st and hope that you join us in sending some of that love along to other families who need it now.

Posted by Dean Steadman at 21:59:30 | Permanent Link | Comments (12) |
Comments
1 - This is an awesome idea. Please let me know if I can help out in any way prior to or at the event. Will see you there.

love,
Shan (Comment this)

Written by: Shan, Abe & Quinn at 2007/03/19 - 12:22:34
2 - Thinking of all of you today. Hugs and much love. Ben I will always remember you and thank you for sharing your light with us. I feel very lucky to have known you and I miss you. (Comment this)

Written by: Amber at 2007/03/29 - 11:51:13
3 - I love you all!! If you need a shoulder to cry on, a ear to listen, or someone to make you laugh, please know that my whole family is here for you and yours.

Love you
Shan (Comment this)

Written by: Shan, Abe & Quinn at 2007/03/29 - 13:02:32
4 - Thinking of Ben, and you, this Sunday. Unfortunately flying to New York that day to give a talk at Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer center the following day. All the neuro-oncology staff here send their love.

Nick
Children's (Comment this)

Written by: Nick Foreman at 2007/03/29 - 13:09:46
5 - I miss Ben, too. I love you all. (Comment this)

Written by: Teresa at 2007/03/29 - 14:08:10
6 - I just wanted to tell you that I am thinking of you all and Ben today. :) Love, Shannon (Comment this)

Written by: Shannon Barton at 2007/03/29 - 15:06:37
7 - Thinking of you guys today. Hope all the celebrations turned out wonderful. I'm sure Ben was there with you. (Comment this)

Written by: Toni at 2007/03/29 - 21:17:10
8 - Just wanted to say hi and that we are thinking of you all on this day and always. We are hoping and praying for you all to recieve peace in your lives. (Comment this)

Written by: Tina Steen at 2007/03/29 - 21:58:52
9 - Sending you and your family our thoughts and love and support today. You have been in our thoughts and prayers.
 (Comment this)

Written by: Jenna & Kalia Clark at 2007/03/30 - 00:05:52
10 - Just a quick note to let you know I was thinking about all of you and Ben yesterday. Love you all very much, and I'll see you on Sunday to celebrate Ben.
 (Comment this)

Written by: Cori at 2007/03/30 - 10:08:17
11 - Dearest Steadmans...I had a very enjoyable time remembering Ben at the Celebration. You both have amazed me once again, as you have taken one of the most darkest times in your life and put a light on it to make it very beautiful and a time to share with friends and family. Again I am blessed to have you part of my family and have the ability to take part in your life. thank you very much!!

love you all
Shan (Comment this)

Written by: Shan, Abe and Quinn at 2007/04/01 - 21:41:06
12 - I've been thinking about y'all constantly, realizing that we were getting close to the 1 year anniversary.
And have also been sooooooooo sad about the news about my dear friend Mike's illness. I hope I'm not too late to contribute some squeezable critters to your drive, I'll bring them by next week. Until then, lots of love to all of you!!! Lynne (Comment this)

Written by: Lynne & Mitchell at 2007/04/05 - 00:34:07
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