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REAL | cares

The Payton Wright FoundationBy Lalaena Gonzalez-Figueroa

How do you overcome the unthinkable? How do you pick up the pieces of a family shattered by the loss of one of their own, creating from those shards an enduring monument to love, faith and hope? For Patrick and Holly Wright, the answer is simply, “You get up every day and you do it.”

They were, by all accounts, a normal and happy family. The Wrights were busy with their careers – Patrick was a corporate headhunter and Holly an occupational therapist – and raising their three beautiful, vivacious daughters. And then, one day, their lives were turned upside down. Their daughter Payton, who had been experiencing chronic knee pain, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in May 2006. By August of that year, she was paralyzed. Though Payton, her doctors and her family fought valiantly, the disease was unrelenting. “We struggled,” recalls Holly. “The diagnosis was shocking, but to learn that there was no treatment protocol was difficult. Every day was a challenge.”

Through it all, Payton refused to give up hope. Her courage and light touched the lives of an entire community, who rallied to support her and, later on, her grieving family. The pain of losing their daughter was beyond comprehension; no one would have blamed Patrick and Holly for retreating into an abyss of despair. But they refused to allow Payton’s light to burn out. “We had to make something positive out of it,” Patrick reflects. “This was an opportunity for our family to heal.”

The path they’ve chosen is one that allows the Wrights to help others cope with similar circumstances. The Payton Wright Foundation is dedicated exclusively to fighting pediatric brain cancer on multiple fronts. Not only does the organization support research to find new treatments, but focuses on providing critical financial assistance to families who are caring for a child with brain cancer.

Locally-based, the Payton Wright Foundation touches lives across the country. Patrick and Holly have cultivated relationships with pediatric neuro-oncologists and social workers throughout the United States to identify families in need. The simple gift of a gas card, say the Wrights, can make an amazing difference. “We hear, over and over again, that caregivers aren’t bringing kids in for treatment because they don’t have the funds to cover transportation costs,” says Holly incredulously. “The truth is, between chemotherapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy, doctor’s visits and follow-up appointments, there is a staggering amount of time and money being invested in travel alone.” The foundation dedicates at least $2,000 per month in pre-paid gas cards alone, which are distributed directly to patients’ families by social workers and medical personnel. “This allows us to ensure that we are helping individuals truly in need,” Holly explains.

The Payton Wright Foundation also assists families in covering day-to-day expenses such as rent, mortgage and utilities, which quickly lose precedence in the fight for a

child’s life. “You don’t think about the financial impact beyond medical bills,” says Patrick. “There are surprisingly few organizations created to provide funds designated for non-medical purposes.” They’ve been thanked for helping when no one else would, and that hits home for the Wrights. “It means so much to us, because we know what it’s like to face financial hardship on top of the emotional stress,” Patrick reveals. “If we can help a family stay afloat so that they can better care for their child, then we’re accomplishing our mission.”

Patrick and Holly are known for their positivity at fundraising events including an annual gala and The Payton Wright Foundation Golf Outing, a charity golf tournament. But the couple is also in the trenches, speaking regularly to neuro-oncologists and offering emotional support to families who are in the fight of their lives. It’s hard, they acknowledge, to

continue to relive the pain of their own loss as they counsel others. But it’s part of the healing process and the legacy of hope that Payton left behind.

“Payton affected everyone she met in such an amazing way,” says Holly. “We just didn’t want to give that up. Throughout the course of her illness, every time we received bad news, she found a way to keep going. We believe that if she could do it, so can we.” Today, families around the country are finding their own strength thanks, in great part, to Payton’s enduring light.

Payton Wright Foundation | PO Box 110067 | Bradenton, FL 34211 | (941) 893.7007 | Patrick@PaytonWright.orgwww.PaytonWright.org

Artwork by Michael Israel