Helping Happy Wheels in Honor of Vanessa Garcia!

Having a child in the hospital is the last thing you want to imagine as a parent, yet it happens every day. Day after day, so many families walk the same halls. Some, much like our family, are only there for a short time… while others unfortunately spend more days in the hospital setting than in the comfort of their own home. Regardless of the time spent there, the goal is always the same for parents. We want our children to get the help they need, regain their health, and find a way to smile again. It’s unfortunate that so many children have to bear the weight of sickness, diagnoses, and hospital admissions. 

Our family only spent a few days at Prisma Children’s Hospital. During our short stay, my daughter Vanessa Garcia was diagnosed with an inoperable and ultimately fatal brain tumor called DIPG. More than ever before, the urge to bring joy, smiles, and laughter to her felt IMPERATIVE! There are still moments within my deep grief in when I reminisce on our days in the hospital on the PICU floor. Those few days were the last resemblance of normalcy we would ever have. I find comfort in knowing that we did share smiles, laughter, joy, and numerous gifts within that time.

Finding the Happy Wheels foundation happened after my daughter’s passing. Upon an admission following my son’s surgery, I discovered that Happy Wheels has a mission to deliver joy to children in the hospital. Their mission, their smiling volunteers, and their cart filled with goodies really resonated with me. I know that unshakable, overwhelming feeling of needing to see your child smile at you just once more. I know that urge to find pockets of joy when it feels like your sense of normalcy is crumbling around you. The Happy Wheels Foundation is such a gift in those moments. Not only to the sick and suffering children, but also for the families of those children. For the moms, dads, grandparents, and guardians- Happy Wheels provides much more than just books and toys. They provide joy. They gift SMILES. They help families make an unfortunate situation happier and provide a positive, memorable moment. Happy Wheels, for so many, IS the pocket of joy that gets them through. It would be an absolute honor to be able to raise funds so that they can continue to do what they do best. 

One day, each week throughout the year, Happy Wheels volunteers make rounds to each inpatient room with a decorated surgical cart filled with brand new books and toys. Happy Wheels visits approximately 400 children weekly at all 3 children's hospitals in South Carolina. Each child gets to pick out one toy/book of their choice every week for the duration of their admission. They get to keep the gifts and take them home!