Music Night at RMH with Children & Dads!

The Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope (AAFH) held another Music Night at the Ronald McDonald House in Winfield on Thursday, January 28, 2016.  The young patients we met are being treated at the Proton center in Warrenville, IL and receiving radiation therapy.

Toy xylophones were given to all the young patients. These toy instruments were donated by Lilia Olvera Martinez-Gerente De Ventas at Comersilver and shipped all the way from Mexico City.  Young people of ages 3 through 19 participated in the Music Night.

It was great to see Dads come to the Community Room and have fun watching their sons & daughters play the musical instruments and enjoy the sounds made by the many instruments.  One Dad even gathered a few of the children to play together.  This was caught on camera and you can see the big smiles on the childrens’ faces.   

A young patient, Andra, asked if we had a flute because she has been playing a plastic toy flute at home and has always wanted to play a real brass one.  Yoli shared the AAFH mission and told Andra we could get her one.  When she heard this, she looked at her Dad and had a big smile.  Dad said “Andra desires a flute and can’t wait to learn how to play it”.  Dad immediately completed the Gift Request form.  One of our Board members, Glen Schneider is working with Quinlan and Fabish Music Company to fulfill Andra’s gift request.  Andra’s mom, Ligia, said Andra is very excited to hear AAFH will be honoring her gift request.

Art Kits donated to Florida Hospital & RMH

The first delivery of Alyssa Starter Art Kits (SAKs) and toy music xylophones arrive at the All Children’s Hospital Johns Hopkin Medicine & Ronald McDonald House in St. Petersburg, Florida. 

On Friday, January 15, 2016, Carmen Ziegler (Advisory Board Member), Lupe Brueck and Nadine Liceaga (AAFH Volunteers) joined Yoli Alvin (AAFH President) to promote the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope and share Alyssa’s mission with Kristin Maier the Child Life Director at the All Children’s Hospital and Karen Matthews, the House Manager at the RMH. 

Kristin emailed us and said she shared Alyssa’s SAKs with Dara Jackson who is the All Children’s hospital Inpatient Hemoc/Onc Child Life Specialist.  Dara told Kristin she loved the Art Kits and Kristin said, “don’t be surprised if you get a request for more of Alyssa’s SAKs soon!”

With the delivery of Alyssa SAKs and the toy musical instruments, the All Children’s Hospital and the RMH in St. Petersburg can now share Alyssa’s love of Music and Art with teens and young adult patients.

Thank you to Kristin and Karen for a warm welcome and giving us the opportunity to bring a piece of Alyssa’s legacy to their young patients and their families through the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope!

Making Children Smile at RMH in Chicago

On Sunday, January 10th we made breakfast at the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago for families with children who are being treated at Lurie Children's Hospital. The AAFH Team was there six months ago and many of the same volunteers came out to join us to support an organization that welcomed us while Alyssa was going through cancer treatments.  The RMH also welcomed Alyssa while she was at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. for physical therapy.

During our meal prep, the kitchen was busy with volunteers making chocolate chip pancakes, French toast, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs and breakfast burritos. When the food was ready, the families got in line and the children received toy musical instruments (xylophones and small guitars) sent from Yoli and Nancy's (Alyssa's Godmother) friend Lilia Olvera.  Our photographer, Jayne, caught a few of the childrens' excitement and smiles as they selected one of the toys of their choice.

The AAFH volunteers also had a chance to enjoy breakfast together and go up to the rooftop with Yoli to visit Alyssa's brick memorial.  It was a very busy morning full of love, joy and hope for the patients and families we met.

Give Hope.
www.alyssaalvinfoundationforhope.org

Evin received his Launchpad Pro instrument today!

Today I had the pleasure of delivering Evin’s musical instrument. I personally reached out to his family after reading about his journey with cancer on Facebook.

Evin was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on May 15, 2015. His Mom, Mari, keeps everyone updated regarding Evin’s hospital visits and treatments through a Facebook page titled “Prayers for Evin Alexander / Evin’s Journey & Battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma” (link shared below).

Cancer is often described as a ‘battle’. Evin’s family thinks of it as a battle and I can attest that there is no other way to describe it. From my personal experience with the Alvin family, each and every day was a battle. We were fighting off our fears. We were fighting off our doubts. And just like all the families affected by cancer, we were fighting for our loved one.

Something that amazes me about Evin’s friends and family is the tremendous support that they have for his battle. I think giving support, in whatever form, is crucial because these children and many others are in the fight of their lives. They really need our help.

Before the formation of the Alyssa Alvin Foundation for Hope, all that we could really do to help young cancer patients was to be there for them, send them positivity, and maybe even pray for them. But, after being inspired by Alyssa’s journey, we’ve taken on a new battle and a new mission: to give the gift of music and art to children and young adults with cancer.
 

Music and art is so important for the healing process, especially to someone undergoing cancer treatments. Afterall, music and art are made of dreams, and we want young cancer patients to dream big and dream often. We want them to express themselves through art. We want them to feel joy while playing a musical instrument. And like our other gift recipients, we want them to tell their personal story through music and art.
 

Evin hopes to create some awesome electronic music using the musical instrument we gave him. Jokingly, I asked him, “What’s going to be your DJ name?” He just laughed. I’m sure he’ll be making some great electronic music and we look forward to sharing that with you in the future.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Novation Launchpad Pro, it’s a really awesome musical instrument. It’s so different from the other instruments we’ve given but we’re glad Evin wanted one of these. Check out this YouTube video to see how it works:

Pretty cool huh? We wanted to make sure that Evin received his instrument before he starts chemotherapy again on Thursday. If you’d like to support Evin, please visit his Facebook page by clicking on the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/EvinStrongTeamEvin/?fref=ts

If you’d like to help us give more musical instruments and art supplies to children and young adults with cancer, please click here to visit our donate page.

Give Hope.

-Kevin Cervantes

Everglow (Live) by Coldplay

The light that you left me will everglow...

This is a live version of Everglow from Coldplay's new album A Head Full of Dreams. I'd like to dedicate this song to Alyssa. Thank you for the lessons and the dreams. ∞

"Oh they say people come
They say people go
This particular diamond was extra special
And though you might be gone
And the world may not know
Still I see you celestial

Like a lion you ran
A Goddess you rolled
Like an eagle you circled
In perfect purple
So how come things move on
How come cars don't slow
When it feels like the end of my world?
When I should but I can't let you go?

But when I'm cold, cold
When I'm cold, cold
There's a light that you give me
When I'm in shadow
There's a feeling you give me, an everglow

Like brothers in blood
Sisters who ride
Yeah, We swore on that night
We'd be friends 'til we died
But the changing of winds
And the way waters flow
Life as short as the falling of snow
And now I'm gonna miss you, I know

But when I'm cold, cold
In water rolled, salt
I know you're always with me
And the way you will show
Cause you're with me wherever I go
And you give me this feeling, this everglow

What I wouldn't give for just a moment to hold
Yeah, I live for this feeling, this everglow
So if you love someone, you should let them know
Oh, the light that you left me will everglow."