As we approach the Holiday Season, most of us reflect on the year we’ve just had. Those reflections make us consider our personal lives, family, health, spirituality, business and countless others. While each of us pause at this time to reflect, please consider yourselves incredibly fortunate if you and your family have the gift of good health. Many of us fail to appreciate the importance of this gift until we experience the effects of health-related struggles, especially when it involves children.

We have the remarkable fortune to not only meet, but get to know families and children across the country with our Cheeriodicals events to benefit children’s hospitals. We’re often asked how we handle the emotional toil of seeing and meeting children struggling with cancer and other childhood diseases. Over time we’ve realized that it’s our calling, maybe even our gift, to be able to bring smiles to hospitalized children and their families searching for hope. We know that businesses pivot based upon market need and what need could possibly matter more than a child seeking a reason to smile? This need has created a mission for us to make a difference with our Big Green Boxes of Cheer for as many children as possible.

As we reflect on the last year for Cheeriodicals, our thoughts are on the individual children we’ve met along the way. We think about the measure of bravery and unlimited fight they all seem to have despite their circumstances. We think about the selfless determination we see in their parents to raise money and awareness about the diseases their children are fighting, not only to help their sick child, but to make a difference for the other children that will follow.

We could highlight so many individual stories from our experiences, but the smile of one child stands out. We met Sammy Nahorny, aka Sammy Superheroes, during our one of our Omaha Children’s Hospital trips. We’ll never forget meeting him and his mother in his hospital room. This little boy’s smile was unforgettable and his mother’s determination was inspiring. I’m not sure who named his foundation as Sammy’s Superheroes, but they obviously knew the heart of this little boy.

As we’re one day from celebrating Christmas we just saw the post where the Sammy’s Superheroes Foundation just donated $50,000 for research funding to Duke University. We remained inspired and amazed at what this family is accomplishing all the while their son is fighting cancer. This is what Superhero looks like to us.

Please visit their Facebook page to follow the wonderful work this Foundation is doing, offer your contributions, and most importantly pray for Sammy’s progress in his fight with cancer.

www.facebook.com/SammysSuperheroes/