This year we launched our own unique version of the 12 Days of Christmas. We called it “12 Days of Sol Flower Christmas” and used it as an opportunity to grant a series of smaller dreams to young adults battling cancer or life-limiting diseases. We were also able to spoil a few special souls who suffered the loss of a sibling or loved one to a terminal illness.
We launched a mini-dream each day, starting on Christmas day and ending on January 6th, Three Kings Day, a holiday celebrated by many Hispanic cultures and one Kaydee loved celebrating with her Papi. These mini-dreams ranged from gift cards and spa days to snowboarding and skydiving, each gift as unique as the person who chose it.
If you follow us on social media then you probably saw us rolling these out in real time. We saved them to a highlight (12 Days of Sol Flower Christmas) on our Instagram page so you can revisit the entire 12 days there. And, if Instagram is not your go-to, here’s a quick recap of the twelve mini-dreams we shared.
Days 1-3
The first three days of our 12 days campaign went to the siblings of our very first Project Sol Flower dream recipient, Daniel. Read more about this remarkable young man and his brave fight with cancer here. Daniel left behind three siblings when he passed, a twin brother Jose and two sisters, Stephanie and Nicole, who were both pregnant at the time of Daniel’s passing.
Jose, Daniel’s twin, is a freshman in college so we gave him a $250 Visa gift card along with a $250 gift card to Pindustry, where he could treat some friends to a fun night out of bowling, video games and food. We spoiled Stephanie and Nicole with $300 each in spa treatments as well as an array of beauty products they could use to pamper themselves at home because we know that every new mom deserves a little extra pampering.
Day 4
Sweet Lexie has been battling cancer her entire life but her family planned a trip to Vegas and Disney for her 21st birthday and we were thrilled to contribute to this milestone birthday. Project Sol Flower donated “Disney Dough” she could spend however she deemed fit as well as good ole cash for gambling in Vegas! We rounded out her dream with other 21st birthday party essentials, including champagne and an assortment of mini booze bottles, because you only turn 21 once!
Days 5 & 6
Sarah had the same rare form of bone cancer as Kaydee and passed just shy of her 23rd birthday. Two of her seven siblings shared Sarah’s love of the theater so we are sending Jon and Kezia to see Anastasia at the Buell Theater in April, complete with dinner out and other Project Sol Flower surprises.
Days 7 & 8
Logan and Ryan were by Kaydee’s side throughout her four year battle with Ewings Sarcoma, cheering her on and brightening her spirits daily. We treated these two teenagers to a much deserved New Year’s Eve trip to Steamboat, including ski passes, admission to the hot springs and a stay at the iconic Rabbit Ears Motel.
Day 9
Reyna is another young adult who has been sick most of her life. She also lost her own mom to breast cancer when she was only six years old. Reyna recently underwent a surgery to remove her colon but is regaining her health and strength. Her dream was a unique mix of sweet and scary: she wanted to freshen up her hair color and get a tattoo to honor her late mother – that’s the sweet – and she wants to go skydiving – that’s the scary! We will have to wait until warmer weather for her tandem jump so stay tuned on social media to see photos of Reyna skydiving!
Day 10
Lynn and John have the sweetest love story. They were high school sweethearts who planned to travel the world together after graduation but cancer had other plans. John was diagnosed with leukemia three days after graduation and spent the next three years fighting for his life, with Lynn by his side every step of the way.
John worked with his physical therapist to be able to get down on one knee and proposed to Lynn on the roof of Children’s hospital on Dec 17, 2020. Sadly, they were never able to officially tie the knot; John passed on January 6, 2021. We are spoiling Lynn with first class tickets and a 3-course meal on the Royal Gorge Train and know that John will be there in spirit with her.
Day 11
Danjela was diagnosed with brain cancer at 11 years old and has endured two brain surgeries, hundreds of radiation treatments and countless medications. Through it all, Dani’s smile and positive spirit has remained bright. We are treating this Disney lover, and her entire family, to a VIP experience at the Disney Animation Immersive Experience in February.
Day 12
Katie was diagnosed at age 19 with a synovial sarcoma in her left knee. After an invasive surgery, chemotherapy and radiation we are thrilled to share that Katie has been cancer-free for three years!! She has hopes of becoming an art teacher and we are contributing a $500 visa gift card to help with her future travel plans.
We plan to make this an annual dream-granting event as a way to ensure we support more young adults in need of love, joy and a little adventure! Every time you donate to Project Sol Flower you are directly supporting a young adult’s bucket list dream. As always, 100% of your donation is tax deductible.