News & Events

To all of our Catie followers,

Our hope is that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and that you were able to count blessings and see God’s bounty in your life this past week.  We have had a wonderful week, as a family, and as ambassadors of all that Catie is and means to so many.  The week began last Saturday as St. Jude kicked off their Thanks and Giving campaign across the country with mall walks in 63 locations. 

Catie's Team members at Harrisburg Walk

Two of them had Catie Teams participating, Allentown, PA and Harrisburg, PA.  If you know of anyone who walked in one of these events and knows about Catie, please let us know! 

Participants and Volunteers at the Give Thanks. Walk.

The Harrisburg walk was the second annual and its success last year provided the impetus for the Allentown walk and others.   The Harrisburg walk surpassed last year’s event in participants, (more than 250), volunteers, (more than 50), and in donations, $32k and still counting.  Below is a link to a video of the walk.

http://animoto.com/play/YM2k8qF0wJbKk1ZhkHLKvQ?utm_content=escape_link

In addition to the walk, we also saw the first St. Jude commercial for this year’s campaign and it brought back the flood of memories from Catie’s commercial with Jason Taylor.  What a wonderful day that was.  Catie was still in treatment and feeling good and Christine and I had a terrific time spending an entire day with Catie and being so proud of who she was as she met and interacted with so many people.  Her smile just lit up any room she was in, just like her mom.  I am so blessed to be a husband and father, and being Catie’s dad is still an honor.  Take a look at the link below, it is a short video of the outtakes of the commercial, Catie is the beautiful little girl in pink.  It takes a minute for the video to load, but it is worth the wait.

http://bbitv.nextcom.no/video/Behind_the_Scenes_with_Jason_Taylor.htm

In many ways, that day held all of the elements of Catie’s Wish.  We stopped to pray at the Lourdes grotto in Emmittsburg, and Catie wrote out a prayer card asking God to make her better and we prayed for all of the kids battling cancer.  Then we did what we could to help St. Jude in their fight to treat and continue research.  Even then, we knew that eradicating pediatric cancer would take prayer and research.  Thank you for continuing this journey with us.

The rest of the week was a buildup to Thanksgiving and a great weekend.  Thanksgiving was spent with the Connollys and as usual, we did not arrive home until after midnight.  Friday saw us sharing Thanksgiving meal number two at our house which Christine and the kids have begun to decorate.  Saturday we journeyed back to our old neighborhood so that we could spend some time with the Toscanos and be close by on  Sunday for Gianna Marie Grimmer’s Baptism.

Max holding Gianna Marie Grimmer

What an honor to be invited and to be a part of such a wonderful sacrament.  Holding that sweet three week old smelling of Chrism brought back such terrific memories of holding Catie and the Fab 5 and of our Gianna who we were never able to hold.  What a blessing!  Thank you Jennifer and Will.  As I knelt next to Christine holding Gianna, Christine looked at me with a huge smile and a tear running down her cheek and said, “this is the happiest I have been in a long time.”  I knew just what she meant.

Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?  We should not be thankful just when things go our way because getting our way may not be the best thing for us.  Think about being a parent and giving your child everything they want, allowing them to have their way constantly.  You would never do it because the child would end up spoiled and selfish.  As parents, we teach our children that sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes the answer is no, and we hope to teach them that in both answers we love them.  God loves us unconditionally and that does not change or diminish when we don’t get our way.  Holding that sweet baby brought joy for the blessing that she is, sadness that two of our daughters are no longer with us, hope that we will see them again in heaven, and faith that God has us in the palm of His hands.  The trick is to be thankful for all of that, not just the parts we like.

Molly and Gianna Marie

And so, I pray that your Thanksgiving was all that it could be and that your blessings were too numerous to count, (even though you tried).  If you did not see all of the blessings, now is the perfect time to reflect on them as we prepare for Christmas.  See all of the blessings God has placed in your life.  Know without a doubt that He loves you, and then share that love with those in your life.  Hug the people you love because you can’t hug them once they are gone.  Tell your spouse you love them and thank them for all they do, and let your kids know that you are proud of them even if they drive you crazy.  Know that we are praying for you and know that Catie climbs onto God’s lap and whispers your name to Him daily. 

God is good, all the time,

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

PS – The Central Pennsylvania Tour of Lights begins this Saturday, December 4^th at 6pm and runs each night in six Central PA locations until January 8^th.  Please visit www.duszakfamilylights.com for the addresses of the light shows.  Proceeds from the shows benefit St. Jude and the Catie’s Wish Foundation.  Catie saw the show two years ago and was thrilled, and saw it from heaven last year.  This year’s show is bigger and brighter than ever and clearly visible from Catie’s viewpoint.  Thank you Ron!!

www.givethankswalk.org

http://animoto.com/play/YM2k8qF0wJbKk1ZhkHLKvQ?utm_content=escape_link

St. Francis School in Springfield, PA held their third annual Dress Down Day for Catie’s Wish.  They have collected over $2,000 and have said hundreds of prayers for Catie’s Kids.

It has been an eventful couple of weeks.  Amidst the Halloween parties, Trick-or-Treating, costume selecting and the everyday, we have attended the funerals and viewings of four people and have witnessed from afar the continuing struggles and setbacks of Catie’s kids.  The funerals have spanned the age spectrum from teen to nonagenarian, and the constant in all of them is that despite the hope and the promise of eternal life, there is sadness.  The other common factor in these losses is the valuable lesson that Catie taught us to embrace the gift of each day because you never know when it will be the last.  We were blessed with the sure knowledge that we had provided Catie with as many days and as many experiences as we could cram into the time we were given with her.  There were no regrets.  I hope and pray that the peace that comes with that acceptance is bestowed upon the loved ones of the people we have said good-bye to this past week.  Some deaths appear harder than others, some occur after long battles, and others shock us with their suddenness.  But death is personal, and the relationship between the person who has died and each of the people who mourn their loss dictates how that mourning will go.  Please pray for the loved ones of each of these who have died, that they receive the solace of God as they grieve.

Nana, mother of Nancy was adopted by the Fab 5 after a Wednesday night Mass shortly after Catie’s death.  Because she was in a wheelchair, they gravitated to her immediately and formed a quick but lasting bond with Nana and Nancy who cared for her.  The kids and Nancy shared bottles of water from Lourdes, pictures of their favorite saints, prayer cards, Nana’s 90th birthday and plenty of hugs.  They would push Nana’s wheelchair to the car after Mass, tell her all of the details of their day, and she would quietly and very patiently listen to them with care and attentiveness in her still bright eyes.  At Nana’s funeral, M.E. spotted Nancy in the back of the church, visibly upset, and rushed to her, giving Nancy her best squeeze.  She held Nancy’s hand through the funeral and grave side service and provided the comfort only a 4-year old can.  We shared dessert and coffee with Nancy last night, and the Fab 5 did their best to shower love on someone dear to them, a lesson they learned from Catie.  It is comforting to know that Nana and Catie are both walking together in heaven – as there are no wheelchairs in heaven!

Catie and Mrs. Hodges taking a bow after a wonderful Christmas show.

Mrs. Hodges was the music teacher at St. Joseph’s and was the piano teacher for Maggie, Max, Mia, and Catie.  When Catie came back from St. Jude after treatment had been suspended, she asked to learn to play the keyboard.  Mrs. Hodges worked with Catie as her eyesight was failing and through Mrs. Hodges dedication Catie was able to fulfill one of her last wishes as she performed Happy Birthday for all of us to hear.  Mrs. Hodges also produced the annual St. Joseph’s Christmas extravaganza, and welcomed Catie into the performance in 2008.  I am sure the two of them are making beautiful music together now.  The other kids took lessons at Mrs. Hodges’ home on Thursday nights.  Last Thursday night after collecting too much candy on the designated Halloween night in central Pennsylvania (too strange to even comment on), they went to Mrs. Hodges viewing.  To say that her loss will leave a huge hole in their young lives is an understatement.  In a clear sign that she is settled in Heaven, her beloved Penn State Nittany Lions defeated Michigan.  We will miss you Mrs. Hodges.

The Fab 5 (and Catie) - Halloween 2010

Joe was the beloved of little M.E.  They met a couple of years ago when Joe, a Knight of Columbus was decked out in full regalia for a very special Mass.  They hit it off immediately, and each day at Mass since then, M.E. would run to Joe, offer him a hug as a sign of peace and after Mass the two of them would clear the altar and blow out the candles.  Joe’s blackberry was filled with pictures of M.E.  Joe’s love for M.E. was never more evident than at his wake and funeral as dozens of Joe’s friends and relatives approached us and asked, “Is this M.E.?” and when she said that she was, they all hugged her and thanked her for the joy that she had brought to his life.  Today at Mass, the realization that he was gone hit her as she started to walk towards the altar to hug him and work with him and he was not there.  So much loss for a little 4-year old.

Gabby was a year ahead of Maggie and two years ahead of Max at St. Joseph’s and while they did not hang out together, the suddenness of Gabby’s loss has left many parents and students reeling.  The question of why which is so often asked when we lose someone in the dawn of their life will be challenging and difficult to answer.  For me, it was a reminder to count my blessings and go and hug each one of my kids and let them know that I love them.

As for Catie’s kids, please continue to pray as they continue to struggle.  Pray for Brayden especially as he has relapsed for the third time, and St. Jude has told him and his family that the options are very limited.  We continue to ask Catie to heal these kids and intercede with God; believing that a miraculous cure will bring more people to trust in God.  When we read about or hear about another kid who may not make it, we again fall into the trap of asking why.  In fact, we get a bit upset with Catie, wondering if she is too busy playing to take care of these kids.  Then a ladybug or a whisper in the wind tells us that she is with God and that He has a plan and that our job is to trust and to never give up hope.  I will leave you with that thought, continue to trust in God and remember to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you.  You never know if what you say is that last thing you will ever say to someone you love, so make it count!

God is good, all the time,

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

Yesterday was a really tough day.  It was a day that filled my dreams and hopes for my children for years.  It was a day that “was never going to come”.  Or at least that is what my mind told me as another child came into our lives.  A child that we wanted and welcomed with open arms.  A child whom we viewed as nothing short of a miracle and certainly knew was a blessing from God.  Despite thinking about this day for the first time in October 2002 and believing that it would come.  It came yesterday.  In 2002 Maggie’s four year old pre-school photo was placed in a frame.  A small 3 ½ by 5 inch frame filled with Maggie’s energetic and vibrant smile, along with her one inch pigtails and her bright eyes.  As that photo was framed a question crossed my mind “when would the last O’Brien child be in pre-school?”  At that time, Max was three; Catie was one and Mia was four months old.  Molly and M.E. were not even a thought.

Maggie 2002

Yesterday, the five frames were taken down, opened and the smiles surveyed.  They all have changed.  How much all of their eyes changed in their photos in 2008!  Were those eyes of wonder and innocence, of worry and concern or were they simply the eyes of faith and trust?  These five kids have been through so much.  Much more than any parent would imagine for their child and yet despite it all they still are smiling.  Max has a bigger smile in his class photo as he is standing on tippy toes – a family tradition among the men and boys to look taller.

Max 2003

Yesterday, M.E. finally made it into a frame.  Our last child is four and in pre-school.  Last year the decision was made to put Molly’s photo into Catie’s frame.  The thought was that seeing everyone grow up and never seeing Catie’s photo change would be heart wrenching.  That is true.  The second thought was that seeing all of Catie’s school photos in one place would be easier – a shrine of sorts.  It is easier every day of the year – just not yesterday.  How is it that there are only five of them?  How is it that one has died and died before she even really starting growing up?  How it is that child who was not even old enough to ride her bike around the block alone, or ever go to the store and buy a candy bar, is in heaven?  How does this happen?  It just does.

Catie 2005

It does and did and yesterday it hit me like a ton of bricks.  The house could have collapsed into a pile of lumber and sheetrock all around me and it might not have hurt as much – though that would be because my focus would have been on the safety of the Fab 5.  Catie is gone.  To comfort us, many offered that the first year would be the toughest for us – “all the firsts”.  We were numb through the firsts.  It is the living and watching the children grow and seeing the spot where we want Catie to be that hurts every day.  It is the living and remembering what we asked a child to do – be a human science experiment – that hurts every day.  We were hoping to save her and telling ourselves that even if we didn’t save her maybe someone would learn something that would help another child.  Even while she was being treated, our focus was on doing all that we could to make sure another family would not have to stand in our shoes.  Catie felt that same way and made that thought her dying wish.  Children should never have to be experiments.  They should be doing them, not having them done to their bodies. 

Mia 2006

Throughout everything we do and every day we miss Catie and we think of her.  We know that she would never want any of us to be sad.  She would not want me to sit wiping tears from my eyes so the words that are being typed could be read.  Today Catie would want me to do just what she wanted all along – pray.  Ask everyone to pray.  Pray for a cure.  Pray for a heart to understand.  Pray with gratitude for all the blessings that are here today.  Pray for the strength to do what NEEDS to be done for ourselves, for our families, for those in need and for those who are in need of faith.  Pray for yourself and your children and for everything that comes to mind when we allow ourselves to be quiet and listen to God.

 

Molly 2008

M.E. 2010

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

Good evening Catie followers,

It has been an exciting week for the Catie’s Wish Foundation.  True to the mission that Catie left for us to eradicate pediatric cancer through prayer and research, the week consisted of both fund raising and awareness as well as prayer.  As September ends and October begins, the month that was dedicated to Pediatric Cancer Awareness gives way to the sea of pink that has come to signify the battle against Breast Cancer.  My guess is that like myself, you have already seen many indications that the fight to raise awareness and research funding for breast cancer is in full swing, yet you saw and heard very little in the past thirty days about cancer affecting our children. 

Friday, the St. Joseph Chargers football and soccer players and their cheerleaders held a pep rally to celebrate their seasons.  As they have for the previous two years, the members of the respective teams sold subs and donated the proceeds of the sub sale to the Catie’s Wish Foundation.  The first year, Catie accepted the check herself, and I am sure that she was with us today as well.  The school and the communities that comprise the school and its athletic programs continue to be a major source of support, encouragement, and strength for us as a family and through their prayers and financial support, for the children of St. Jude.  As I prepared to accept the check, I thought about the over 210,000 children who have received the news that they have cancer in the days since Catie last graced the halls of the school she loved so much.  210,000 families who have received life changing news, and the almost 30,000 who face each day without their child.  Of all of those children and all of those families, I know that no child and no family was supported, loved, and held in prayer more than Catie and we were by the St. Joseph’s community.  Their continued support is a testament to who they are, and also to who Catie was and is in the life and spirit of that school.  Faced with the news that the tumor had returned and the realization that she was going to die, Catie’s first and most fervent request was that she go back to school to be with her class which she did while Christine patiently sat in the hallway outside her classroom.  As I looked at the fourth graders today, I could have seen the hole left by Catie’s absence, instead, I watched as they won the school’s Spirit Award and knew that she will never be absent from the hearts and minds of the classmates she loved so much.

St. Joseph's cheerleaders at the Pep Rally

The other event of the week occurred on Wednesday night as the St. Joseph’s Council for Catholic Women hosted a fashion show with Kohl’s department store to benefit the Catie’s Wish Foundation.  Over one hundred women attended the event that featured mothers and children of the school and parish modeling the fall clothing lines from Kohl’s.  Terri Rosenstein did a wonderful job of coordinating the event with Kohl’s, lining up the models, including the fab 5, modeling herself, and MCing the event.  True to their mission, the evening began with a prayer, and then the modeling began.  Max and Terri’s grandson Jack modeled the boys apparel, while 16 moms and daughters showed off the fashions for the ladies.  The night was a wonderful success and was very well received. 

M.E. and Jack modeling some of the wonderful clothes from Kohl's

Last night, our family went to St. Joseph’s church and prayed.  Each week, we set aside time as a family to pray for Catie’s kids, to pray for the families that are dealing with their own journeys as we did with Catie’s, and to pray for an end to pediatric cancer.  We know that many of you do the same.  Thank you.  As Christine and I sat holding each other in the Presence of Jesus and asked for healing for all of the kids we know and those we do not, I thought about all of the people who still do not know about Catie or about pediatric cancer.  I need to do more to spread the word so that the prayer for these kids is unceasing.  I thought about people who diligently pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament weekly or monthly and for ways to tap into them and raise their awareness so that when they present themselves in prayer to God they will carry Catie’s kids with them.  I also thought about all of you who choose to continue on this journey with us.  I asked God to bless each of you, to open His arms to you so that you each can experience the warmth, peace, and joy of your Father’s embrace.

May the peace of God be with you,

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E. and always Catie

For the 3rd consecutive year, the St. Joseph’s Chargers sports teams and cheerleaders hosted a sub sale benefitting the Catie’s Wish Foundation.  Today, at the pep rally for the teams, a check was presented to the foundation.  While we missed Catie who accepted the first check three years ago, we know she was with us.  Special thanks to Julie Walker and Patty Stephens who organized the sub sale.

The St. Joseph’s Council of Catholic Women and Kohl’s Department Store hosted a Fashion Show highlighting fall fashions for women and children at St. Joseph’s School in Mechanicsburg, PA.  The proceeds from the show benefitted the Catie’s Wish Foundation.  The Fab 5 and many of their schoolmates and their moms did the modeling for the show.

Good evening Catie followers,

Just a quick update on the information for the Give Thanks/Walks that are happening in 60 sites across the country.  The date for the Walk is Saturday November 20th.  Registration is very easy, just follow the link below, choose the site that is most convenient for you, (we will be at the Walk in the Harrisburg Mall) and register as an individual or start a team.

May God bless you and the work of your hands,

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E. and always Catie

Register today for the 2nd Annual Central Pennsylvania Give thanks. Walk.

Good evening Catie followers,

Our hope and prayer is that this message finds you well, peaceful, and in the loving embrace of the Father.

Jim Croce wrote a song called Photographs and Memories.  In it, he sings about what is left behind after a person leaves us.

Photographs and memories
All that I have are these
To remember you

Memories that come at night
Take me to another time
Back to a happier day
When I called you mine

Summer skies and lullabies
Nights we couldn’t say good-bye
And of all of the things that we knew
Not a dream survived

Photographs and memories
All the love you gave to me
Somehow it just can’t be true
That’s all I’ve left of you

In many cases, what he says is true.  I read stories and listen to people who have lost a loved one and the biggest regret I hear from them is the lost opportunity to make and share a memory, or to capture that moment with a picture.  Even with the number of pictures that we took of Catie, there are ones that we did not take that we wish we had.  On Tuesday night, we all watched the video of Catie that we created from pictures and videos of her life and while it caused some tears and a flood of memories, we realized and focused on who Catie was and the fact that she is a big part of our life and how glad we were that we had the photos we did to help us to remember her.  That is not to say that I wouldn’t love to take her picture today hugging her brother or sisters or snap a candid shot of Christine’s face lighting up as Catie walked into the room, but I am thankful for what we do have.

The part of the song that I disagree with is that photographs and memories are all that we have and all that is left.  Catie left us more than that, much more.  Catie left us with a mission.  She left it for me, she left it for Christine, for her siblings, and she left behind a mission for everyone that hears and experiences her story.  It is a simple mission that begins and ends with hope and faith, and love.  Hope for those kids and families that are already in the fight of their lives against cancer.  Faith that with God all things are possible, and love for the people in your everyday. 

We watched a movie called the “Ultimate Gift” on Sunday night.  It was a good story about the relationship between a grandfather and his grandson and the gifts that the grandfather bestowed upon the grandson after the grandfather’s death.  The grandfather’s estate was massive, and as the grandson grew into the man the grandfather believed he could be, one of the choices the grandson made was to build a housing facility at a children’s hospital for families of children going through cancer treatments.  As I watched the movie, the $100 million and ultimately $2 billion that was dedicated to the battle against pediatric cancer, I knew in my heart that all of the money in the world could not have saved Catie’s life.  All of the funding for cancer research that gets reallocated away from pediatric cancer research because there is little return on investment; even if it was correctly funneled to help our kids, still would not eradicate pediatric cancer from the lives of our kids battling today.  Current fundraising will help future generation of kids, just as money raised in the past helps the kids battling today.  However, money alone will never win this fight.

This fight is about prayer.  It is about finding people who are willing to join you so that where two or more of you are gathered, there also will God be.  It is about making the decision to fast one day a week or spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.       It is about families setting aside ½ hour a week to sit together, thank God for one another, and ask God to help one of Catie’s kids get through another radiation treatment, chemotherapy regimen, transfusion, bone marrow aspirate, or surgery.  It is about hugging and praising and forgiving your children, your parents and your siblings because they are still with you.  I can’t hug Catie today.  I can either wallow in that, or I can hug M.E. and tell her how much I love her and let her smile take away the pain.  We all have the same choice.  Hug someone you love today for Catie!  Photographs and memories are not all we have, we have a mission and a clear way to honor who Catie was and is to each one of us.

One of the ways that we continue to honor Catie is by supporting St. Jude.  There are Give Thanks/Walks across the country happening on Saturday, November 21^st.  This link will direct you to the Harrisburg Mall walk where we will be, or you can select another of the 60 locations that are convenient for you.  Register today for the 2^nd Annual Central Pennsylvania Give thanks. Walk.

Other events that will financially benefit St. Jude include the annual Chili’s Give Back Night at Chili’s restaurants nationwide on Monday, September 27th.  Please spread the word and either go out for a great meal or take it to go!

The St. Joseph Council of Catholic Women will be sponsoring a fashion show on Wednesday, September 29^th at 7pm at St. Joseph’s Hall in Mechanicsburg, PA.  Proceeds will benefit Catie’s Wish and St. Jude.  Tickets are available after Masses at St. Joseph’s or by contacting Terri Rosenstein at 761-6467.

We received a wonderful message on the website this past week.  A family had been visiting the Lourdes Grotto in Emmitsburg, MD and when they returned home, they looked at the website for the grotto and found a link to the Catie’s Wish website where they read about and learned about Catie for the first time.  As they looked at the website and noticed the butterflies on the border, they remembered a blue butterfly that they had seen at the grotto.  The butterfly landed on the statue of the Virgin Mary and rested there during their entire stay.  They sent a message asking if Catie had liked butterflies.  We of course explained that not only did she love butterflies but that every time we see one, it reminds us that Catie is still very much with us but in a new metamorphosized way.

May God bless you and keep you in the palm of His hands,

Christine, Kevin, Maggie, Max, Mia, Molly, M.E., and always Catie

PS – Please remember in your prayers all of Catie’s kids, many who are still valiantly battling, some who have finished treatment and are showing no evidence of disease, and those that have relapsed or been put on hospice care.  We all can escape from the world of pediatric cancer, these families cannot and need our prayers to get them through another day.