I am inspired to give by forever 5 month old, Zoey Isadora Dockal, and her amazing family. Zoey was born on June 14, 2011. In November 2011, she was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer. After a month long battle of surgeries (including a liver transplant), procedures and chemo treatments, Zoey passed away on December 8, 2011 six days shy of her 6 month birthday. Zoey was a beautiful girl with a big smile and a strong will to fight. She has inspired so many, those that knew her as well as those who never met her but came to know her story.
Zoey’s legacy lives on through a non-profit organization named in her memory, Zoey’s Angels. Zoey’s Angels was born from the love and support that Zoey’s family received when she became an angel. They wanted to offer that same support to others who also lost an infant. Zoey’s mommy and daddy, Gina and Mike, are my dear friends. I was honored to be a founding board member of this organization. Though I have moved from Houston and no longer serve on the board, I continue to give back by helping with Zoey’s Angels’ social media, traveling back to Houston for their events when possible, and securing/making monetary donations.
So far Zoey’s Angels has given back to 10 families who have also lost an infant after a lengthy hospital stay with a $5,000 contribution each, a total of $50,000 since its inception. Zoey’s Angels hopes that this significant financial contribution can help them focus on the grieving and healing process instead of worrying about medical bills, funeral costs, and other related financial burdens that carried over from a lengthy hospital stay. These families are also given a priceless connection to other families that have fought the same battle – someone to connect with that actually understands what they are experiencing now and along their lifelong journey.
www.zoeysangels.org
Review from #MyGivingStory