AURORA, Colo. – For families facing some of the most difficult moments of their lives, a teddy bear may seem like a small gesture. At Brent’s Place in Aurora, those bears represent comfort, kindness and a reminder that someone cares.
Brent’s Place provides medically safe housing and support services for families who travel to Colorado so a child or adult can receive life-saving medical treatment. Families stay close to hospitals while receiving housing, meals and other support at no cost.
Anna Moya and her son, Hunter Rael, are among those families.
“It's a safe environment for Hunter to heal and grow, and feel like he's just a normal kid and be able to meet other families and meet incredible staff here that help take care of us,” Moya said.
Hunter has spent months in Colorado undergoing treatment after receiving two heart transplants.
“The first heart transplant started in November. Then I got graft failure, and I had to get another heart in February,” Hunter said.
Moya said Brent’s Place has given her family stability during a challenging chapter.
“They help us so much here. We don't have to worry about housing, we don't have to worry about food, we don't have to worry about a place to wash our laundry,” she said. “It takes a huge relief off of somebody that is going through a lot and away from home.”
Brent’s Place leaders say supporting families means more than providing a roof over their heads.
“Families that are in medical crisis really need joy infused into their treatment, and that's what we try to do here,” said Monique McCoy, vice president of external affairs for Brent’s Place.
That philosophy is one reason Brent’s Place has partnered with Gail Nussbaum for more than a decade.
Nussbaum, a breast cancer survivor, created an annual event called “Gail's Pay it Forward”, that provides personalized stuffed animals to children staying at Brent’s Place and Ronald McDonald House.
“If I think it's hard to go through cancer as an adult, it's really hard to go through cancer and other medical challenges as a child,” Nussbaum siad.
For the past 13 years, she has gathered friends and volunteers at Build-A-Bear to create bears tailored to individual children. This year, nearly 200 volunteers participated.
“It brings me joy to see these kids, and that's the joy that I live for, is helping others,” Nussbaum said.
The event is held each year around the anniversary of Nussbaum’s final chemotherapy treatment.
“This is my way of celebrating my cancer-free anniversary,” she said. “This past week was my 16-year cancer-free anniversary, and to me, I cannot think of a better way to celebrate than to give back to others.”
Nussbaum said she was diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer in 2009 and completed her final chemotherapy treatment on May 7, 2010. A few years later, she began asking herself how she could turn that experience into something meaningful for others.
What started with about 40 friends outfitting teddy bears has grown into an effort that delivered over 2,000 bears overall. Nussbaum purchases the bears herself, while friends and volunteers provide outfits and accessories.
Friend and fellow cancer survivor Shauna Smith said the event is about creating joy for children facing challenges similar to those she experienced when she was younger.
“I love to be able to see some joy on these kids’ faces that are going through what I went through when I was younger,” Smith said.
Smith also work together at the Shing Stars Foundation, which is a nonprofit that provides programming for children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. Smith said Nussbaum’s generosity extends beyond the annual bear event.
“She also wrote a children’s book based on paying it forward for people, and this is how she gives back from her own cancer experience,” Smith said.
The book, “Paisley’s Pay it Forward Adventure”, is told through the eyes of a teddy bear named Paisley, was inspired by children who received bears through Nussbaum’s program and later went on to help others themselves.
McCoy said Nussbaum’s commitment has made a lasting impact on families at Brent’s Place.
“Gail has been a longtime supporter of ours and really transformed her own cancer journey into a compassionate community action,” McCoy said.
For Nussbaum’s ongoing work, during this year’s teddy bear tea party, Denver7 surprised Nussbaum with a Denver7 Everyday Hero award. When accepting the recognition, Nussbaum quickly redirected the praise.
“You know the real heroes are the children and their families, and Brent’s Place and Ronald McDonald House,” she said.
For Nussbaum, the reward comes from seeing a child smile.
“If even for a short time, they get a moment that they get to smile and just hug something and hold it tight, I think that is worth so much,” she said.
If you are interested in supporting Nussbaum with paying for forward can do so through the Gail Pays It Forward website. Nussbaum said donations help cover the cost of teddy bears and other expenses associated with the annual event.
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