One month after his 12th birthday, our son, Mason, was diagnosed with a rare cancer, Ewing’s sarcoma. A scary diagnosis for any family to hear. We were told chemotherapy would begin immediately, and he would have an intense treatment plan that included lengthy hospital stays every other week for 17 cycles of chemotherapy.
With receiving this life-changing diagnosis in the heart of the pandemic – while hospitals had strict rules against having any visitors – we were faced with the challenge to find ways to keep Mason entertained, keep his mind engaged, and keep him feeling hopeful and positive.
When it came time for his first 5-day inpatient treatment, we decided to bring him some games and a really cool LEGO® set to build.
When Mason started to build, he was so focused on the intricacies in the detail of the build that his mind was quickly distracted from what he was going through. He was so focused on building, that sometimes he wouldn't even notice the nurses were taking vitals, administering his pre-meds or his chemo. When he completed a build, it brought him a sense of pride and confidence.
Playing with LEGO® quickly became Mason's favorite thing to do and he would look forward to picking out a new, even more challenging set to build for his next hospital stay.
It was playing with LEGO® that kept his mind and his hands busy; having sets with him for long hospital stays helped the hours pass quickly. At the end of a long week of having to be in a place most people would dread, Mason would head home feeling proud of his work and have a cool piece to bring home and put on display.
Building with LEGO® became his thing and his doctors and nurses would look forward to what Mason would build next.
And in January of 2022, Mason completed his chemotherapy!
Almost 1 year later in December of 2022, we learned about Bricks of Hope and immediately felt connected to this mission. We heard a radio interview talking about Bricks of Hope and a fundraiser they were doing down the street from our home – collecting new LEGO® sets to be donated to sick kids during their hospital stays.
Our family jumped at this opportunity to share the magic that playing with LEGO® bricks brought to Mason when he was in the hospital. Mason hand-picked five new sets to bring to the fundraiser that he knew would be great for kids to have with them during their hospital stays. We could not be prouder of Mason! Finding Bricks of Hope was certainly for a reason and we are thrilled to support this mission that is so near and dear to our hearts.
