The Dream Doer League

100% of the royalties from sales of The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets are donated to Timmy’s Fund.

Timmy’s Fund is an organization dedicated to assisting families (including my cousin’s family) at WVU Children’s Hospital who are currently battling childhood cancer.

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Why Donate the Royalties?

Here’s the deal. 

Alex and Tyler, the characters in The Dream Doers and the Summer of Secrets, are healthy young adults.  Because they are healthy, they are able to chase their dreams and become Champion Dream Doers, just like the contestants in the Children Into Champions Tele-Contest.

But some children, like my cousin Jason’s 5-year-old daughter Jessica, aren’t as fortunate as Alex and Tyler.  They have to fight to survive every day as they battle childhood cancer.

Their big dream is to live.

So they need help, hope and encouragement every day, especially from their parents. 

And what better way to get help, hope and encouragement for the entire family than by getting a Gift Packet from Timmy’s Fund every time they have to visit the Infusion Clinic?

The Infusion Clinic at the hospital is not a fun place to go.  This is the place they receive chemotherapy, have their blood counts done or need to see the doctor.

Just driving to the clinic and paying for food can start to get real expensive real fast.  And that only adds to the stress of having to get the medical treatment.

That’s why Timmy’s Fund gives each family a Gift Packet every time they have to come to the Infusion Clinic.  The Packet includes:

• A Gas Card

• A Local Area Restaurant Gift Card or Coupon for Lunch

• Some Cash to Help Supplement the Trip for that Day

The goal of the Gift Packet is to pay for the trip to the hospital that day.  When the parents don’t have to worry about the day to day ‘non-medical’ expenses during cancer treatment, they have less stress, more hope and more energy to give their child.

That helps the entire family gain the hope they need to make it through another day.

WHY Timmy’s Fund?

A few months ago, Jessica, my cousin’s five-year-old daughter, was diagnosed with leukemia.  She lives in West Virginia and goes to the Infusion Clinic at WVU Children’s Hospital for treatment once a week.

Every time she goes in for treatment, she receives a Gift Packet from Timmy’s Fund.  Since they are helping my family, I want to support them and help fund their Gift Packets.

But that’s not all Timmy’s Fund does.  They are about to open Timmy’s Book Nook in the Infusion Clinic so the kids have books to read and activities to do while they wait for their treatment.

And Timmy’s Fund is working on a huge new project, Timmy’s Place.

This is going to be a place near W.V.U. Children’s Hospital where families of Pediatric Oncology Patients can stay free of charge. Timmy’s Place will ALWAYS be opened to them.  It will be a place that they can come any time of the day.  They’ll be able to stop by for a meal with their family, allow their kids to play, check or send emails, or just grab a gas card or meal card to a local restaurant.  Timmy’s Place will be their sort of ‘home away from home’ while they are in Morgantown for cancer treatment.

WHO Is Timmy?

In May of 2004, Timmy Quigley was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, which is a very aggressive, malignant childhood brain tumor.  After a very quick diagnosis and surgery, the tumor was successfully and completely removed, and his treatments began in June.

Timmy underwent 4 rounds of intense chemotherapy.  During his treatments, he and his family spent most of the time in the hospital.  Because of his age, and the high doses of Chemo that were necessary to attempt to treat his disease, the treatments were very hard on him.

After successfully completing his chemotherapy, prior to starting radiation therapy, one of his tests came back positive for cancer cells that were found in his spinal fluid.  This meant that he wouldn’t be able to survive because radiation to his brain and spinal cord (which would have cured the cancer) would have caused massive amounts of brain damage.  It also would have caused multiple physical and developmental problems. Because of his age, there were no realistic medical options left.

Medulla Blastoma is one of the most aggressive types of childhood cancer.  The doctors discovered the cancer had come back in the form of nothing more than ‘cells’ in October, and Timmy died shortly after that in December of 2004.

Wanting to carry on Timmy’s name, give hope where there is ‘no hope’, and pass on the ‘peace’ that Timmy’s family experienced in a time of desperation, Timmy’s parents started Timmy’s Fund in 2007.

Their goal is that Timmy’s life and Timmy’s Fund will not only help families that are struggling with the financial stress of childhood cancer, but will give these families hope and peace and help them see that there is so much ‘good’ in the world, even through the worst of times.

Above and beyond anything else, they want to provide families the financial support needed to get through their tough time together…as a family.

Five years later, in December 2009, you have the chance to carry on Timmy’s name and make a positive difference in the lives of other families battling cancer right now.

All you have to do is buy a book.  Read it to feed YOUR dreams, and part of the money you spend will help feed the dreams of kids with cancer.

BUT FIRST…enter the Children Into Champions Tele-Contest sponsored by the characters in the book and give yourself a chance WIN one of the two $50 grand prizes!

To your dreams,
Bonnie Jean