Hello everyone! We hope everyone is doing well and your 2022 is off to a great start!
We got through all of the holidays and we are getting back to what feels like some real normalcy after 3 years….we officially hit 3 years since diagnosis on January 26th.
A couple of new Updates/FYIs before we get into our recap.
1) We officially finished all of our legal paperwork and are now recognized by the IRS as a full blown 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We had been working through partners, but this will provide us many more opportunities to keep focusing on Brax’s mission.
2) For any of you that use Amazon and are not currently linked to a charity, please consider adding TB1 Fund as your charity of choice. It’s easy and Amazon donates a portion of sales back just for shopping as you normally do. Visit www.smile.amazon.com (see below).
3) Our biggest fundraising event of the year, the Champions Cup, is back Friday, April 29th. Last year we raised over $115K and are hoping to surpass that this year. Tickets are on sale now (less than 20 left as of this email), and we promise a good time. Hopefully everyone that came out last year can make it back and we’d love to see some new faces too! If you can’t make it and would still like to make a donation, you can do that too. Finally, thank you to Cub for being the Presenting Sponsor this year – it’s going to be a blast! Link below to view ticket/horse options and/or donate.
https://tb1fund.org/tb1f-champions-cup
Quick recap of the last few months……
The Axe:
The Golden Gopher football team had their annual rival game vs Wisconsin at home this year and our family could not be more excited. The Gophs got the win and brought Paul Bunyan’s Axe home! The girls had never been to a sporting event when the stands cleared and fans charged the field so it was pretty exciting! Heather had told Brax earlier in the season that if the Axe came back to Minnesota she would get to bring it home and that is exactly what happened! Brax had the axe for one full day on December 13th. She decided that she wanted to share it with friends, family, and TB1F supporters. We created a game plan and had an absolute blast sharing the excitement of the Axe with many.
Peppermint Twist/Brylee State:
Peppermint Twist is one of the meets that our gym TCT hosts every year and it has always been one of Brax’s favorite meets. This year we were able to watch her to compete for the first time in 3 years. She competed a Level 7 floor routine and the smile on her face after she saluted the judges is something we will never forget. We were not concerned with her score or place on that event like we had been in the past, but were all just so incredibly thankful that she was healthy and strong enough to return to the competition floor. There were many happy tears in the stands and on the floor from so many of her friends, teammates, and coaches. She has lots of work to do in the gym, but this was a ‘W’ and we are so proud of her for not giving up even in the toughest of circumstances. Also, a week later Brylee competed in the State Level 5 Meet and was the Vault, Bars, and All Around Champion!
Christmas/Guaranteed Rate Bowl:
We decided to take a little vacation this year for Christmas to visit family and attend the Gopher Bowl game in Arizona. It was so great to see our family that lives in Arizona! There are several littles that Brax had not even met yet due to lack travel over the past few years. Some of the girl’s favorite activities included: Vikings BBQ, Mike’s Pizza, Zoo Lights, NYE, Guaranteed Rate Bowl, and just spending much needed time with family. The Gophers beat West Virginia to be crowned the Guaranteed Rate Bowl Champions and we were excited to be there to cheer them on especially after how special the Outback Bowl was in 2020.
Junior Captain U of M Women’s Gymnastics “Always Dreaming” Meet:
Brax and fellow cancer survivor friends Ella & Rissy were honored to be Junior Captains for the Gopher Women’s Gymnastics Cancer Awareness Meet. This was such an exciting opportunity for the girls since they are all huge fans. The team was so supportive of Brax during her treatment and it was wonderful that they continue to be very special to Brax, our family, and TB1F.
Mei Mei’s Cookies:
Mei Mei’s Cookies has been helping to provide sweet treats to the hospital for several years. It’s amazing how a small thing like a cookie can make you smile during a hospital stay. Brax was asked to help create a cookie for December 2021. She settled on a vanilla cookie with peanut butter & chocolate chips and holiday colored sprinkles. They were absolutely delicious and even better, 200 of them were delivered to patients and families at the hospital. Thank you Mei Mei’s Cookies & Creamery for all your good work at the hospital!
Thanks again to everyone who has supported Brax and our family over these last 3 years. I know we say this often, but we are so appreciative and grateful for everyone that has supported us.
We also ask you to keep our other cancer friends in your prayers – Bella, Megan, Casey, Jake and especially the McKeon family who recently lost their daughter Gianna after a year long battle with Osteosarcoma. Our hearts are heavy. We were able to meet Gianna and the family at a Gopher’s game this past fall, such an awesome family!
