Marissa and Matt Weippert’s journey began with that statement on February 7, 2002, as they sat down and spoke with the chief of oncology. Their daughter, Sarah Grace, a beautiful, fun loving 11-year-old who had just started to enjoy middle school, was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive case of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL with myeloid tendencies). Sarah’s white blood count registered at 1.2 million and leukemia cells had infiltrated her lungs, she was hospitalized and put on a respirator in intensive care, all within a 24-hour period. As parents, Marissa and Matt were in shock, but Marissa bravely asked, “is Sarah going to die?” To give us hope we were told that with her age, her gender, and recent great strides that had been made in research, our chances were good. After months of intense rounds of chemotherapy, cranial irradiation, full body irradiation, and no remission in site, they admitted the truth – with such an aggressive cancer Sarah would probably not survive.
Sarah continued to fight and was a candidate for a bone marrow transplant. Sarah’s brother James, then 10, was a perfect match and one (1) litre of bone marrow was harvested from James and transplanted to Sarah. Initially Sarah did well, but after six (6) weeks she relapsed, and her leukemia was more aggressive than ever. On the day Sarah relapsed we were told by staff, “while you’re still thinking clearly, we suggest you make funeral arrangements…” We will never forget those words.
Sarah was strong and determined, and continued to fight for three (3) more months after relapse. It was around Halloween when she said, “I don’t want to be sick anymore,” and on November 9th, 2002 Sarah became an angel.
While Sarah was sick she was never alone. Each night, Marissa or Matt stayed by her side. Having been active in the PTA and community activities before Sarah got sick, we were blessed to have an outpouring of community support. Each day, whichever one of us was at home was the beneficiary of a home cooked meal delivered by family and friends. The overwhelming outpouring of community support was phenomenal, but we realized not every family is as fortunate as we were. Our grief, and all Sarah went through, had to stand for something. It had to mean something. We decided it meant we had to do all we could to support other children with cancer and their families that were experiencing exactly what we had gone through.
In March 2003, four (4) months after Sarah passed and the month she would have turned 13, The Sarah Grace Foundation was born. The Foundation is a mission of love for Sarah and a way of honoring and remembering our brave little girl. We drew strength from Sarah’s example throughout her illness, and continue to do so as we move forward. Every time a person’s name is spoken, their memory, their life, and their spirit never die, and that is what the Foundation represents.
One (1) in five (5) children diagnosed with cancer will not survive. Sarah was one of those children, and it is our desire to make a difference in the lives of the surviving four (4). Together we can make that difference. The dedicated team of “Sarah’s Angels” continues to work on providing toys, games, crafts, school supplies, books and many programs specifically designed to alleviate the stress and anxiety that children feel during treatment. Our team goal is to allow them to be children; not just patients in a hospital. This is not accomplished alone, it is only made possible by everyone working together for the cause.
We are the stewards of your generosity, and as an all-volunteer organization, all funds raised directly support these wonderful children. The Sarah Grace Foundation does not fund research – we fund “smiles for children; one child at a time.”
