Going the extra mile
Statistically, childhood cancer is in every community.
According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, nearly 1 in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before they celebrate their 20th birthday.
Mountain Brook children Grace Bittick, Sean Fredella, Sam Hodnett and Will Nichols were all diagnosed with a form of cancer before they turned 10.
All are now doing well, but Sam Hodnett’s mom, Amanda Hodnett, explained, “When you’re going through any type of trauma … you know, your whole world gets flipped upside down.”
To help these families spend quality time together outside of a doctor’s office or hospital and forget about cancer for a little while, Magic Moments — a local nonprofit, wish-granting organization — steps in.
At the time when Sean Fredella was first diagnosed with leukemia, he was 2 years old and loved Power Rangers. After treatment and being cleared, he relapsed about two and a half months later, and it was during his second bout of cancer that he and his family were granted a trip to Walt Disney World through Magic Moments.
“It was such an amazing trip because we got to go back where only the employees go,” said his mother, Nell Fredella. They were able to meet the Power Rangers in person, something that Nell Fredella said her son was thrilled about.
“There was no way we could have gotten to meet all these Power Rangers backstage [without Magic Moments],” she said.
‘We just had fun’
The Fredellas — like all of the Mountain Brook families Magic Moments has worked with — stayed in the Give Kids the World Village in Disney World. The nonprofit worked with the park to create a personalized vacation catered to the child’s and family’s needs while making sure they didn’t have to worry about a thing.
Sam Hodnett’s mother, Amanda Hodnett, described their experience as “magical.”
Sam Hodnett was diagnosed with glioblastoma at 4 years old and went through about a year of treatment. When Magic Moments reached out to his family, which included a younger sister and a newborn at the time, they opted to take everyone Disney World, as well.
“It felt like a new beginning. Sam was so happy, he was laughing a lot,” Amanda Hodnett said. “It was the first time for an extended period of time that we just had fun and we didn’t have to think about cancer.”
Sam Hodnett said his favorite part was meeting Spider-Man and going on the Transformers ride.
During her son’s treatment, Amanda Hodnett also became friends with fellow Mountain Brook resident Mimi Bittick. Her daughter, Grace, was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor when she was 3 years old.
After going through three surgeries and a year of treatment, Grace Bittick relapsed and started a more intensive treatment that lasted about five months. Shortly thereafter, they received news that she was clear of cancer, and one day later they were on their way to Disney World.
“It was just a special time for both [Grace and her sister], as sisters, to enjoy something that is, at that age, pretty much the quintessential dream come true,” said Grace’s mom, Mimi Bittick.
Will Nichols’ mother Rosemary Nichols stated Magic Moment’s work simply: “They did their magic.”
Will Nichols was diagnosed with bilateral Wilms Tumor when he was 4 years old, and after some treatment and procedures, the cancer spread to his lungs. Every two weeks, he spent three nights in the hospital for “hardcore” treatment before doctors opted to stop treatment since it was “putting more danger to him,” Rosemary Nichols said.
He finished treatment in October 2010, and a little more than a year later, Will Nichols and his two older siblings were on their way to Disney World.
“Of course, we were so excited and so happy and almost in tears because it’s just such a wonderful thing,” she said. The one thing that Will Nichols wanted to do was swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove, to which Magic Moments obliged. “I think he just couldn’t believe it,” she said of her son’s experiences.
Now, all of four children are thriving.
Sean Fredella has overcome cancer four times and has been cancer free for six years. As a MBHS junior, he’s also started the initiative to raise awareness for pediatric cancer through sports, called More Than 4 Athletics. Currently, he is a “Rally Kid” and is aligned with the Rally Foundation of Atlanta, which funds pediatric cancer research across the U.S., including Children’s of Alabama.
Grace Bittick still goes in for checkups since her most recent relapse, but the imaging has been clear. She is doing well and serves as her mom’s inspiration.
Will Nichols is “just like every sixth-grader,” playing soccer and practicing the drums. Even with one kidney he is doing fine.
Sam Hodnett is doing well, too. He went back to kindergarten after their trip to Disney, which he and his family still talk about.
And even though their magical moments with the nonprofit aren’t ongoing, they’re still kept in the Magic Moments family. They are even being highlighted as part of the nonprofit’s first BHM26.2 Marathon.
Inspiration to others
Starting at 7 a.m. on April 15, runners will follow a course for a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay or a fun run that starts at Railroad Parkland. The marathon and marathon relay course wind over the mountain into Homewood, Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook, whereas the half marathon and fun run will stay in downtown Birmingham.
BHM26.2 was started after the Greatest Show on Earth, hosted by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus — which served as the biggest fundraising event for Magic Moments each year — had announced it was closing. Now, all proceeds from the race will go to Magic Moments and the Alabama Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s of Alabama.
Along the way, the story of children who have received gifts from Magic Moments are going to be featured on mile markers and serve as inspiration for the runners. Sean Fredella will be on mile marker 25; Sam Hodnett at mile 6; Grace Bittick at mile 5; and Will Nichols at mile 18. Some of the children will even be out at those mile markers to encourage and support the runners.
“I think it’s pretty awesome they wanted to highlight me,” Sean Fredella said, adding that maybe his story will be inspiring to others or people will learn more about More Than 4 Athletics. “I think [Magic Moments] is great because it gives kids the opportunity to do something they’ve never done before.”
“I can’t wait to cheer on all the runners and thank them for their support,” Will Nichols said.
And Sam Hodnett and Grace Bittick will see familiar faces in the race, too, as both of their mothers are participating in a marathon relay in BHM26.2. They’ve partnered to form Team Amazing Grace and Super Sam.
Neither truly identify as “runners,” but they recruited friends who were because they felt it was important to support Magic Moments and other families by participating in the event.
“I didn’t really think I had a choice to do this for all of those kids, including my own, who have endured so much,” Mimi Bittick said. Her daughter, along with other children fighting childhood cancer, will be her inspiration and drive during the race.
“I think that we think of some of the other national wish granting organizations. We have a local one here in Alabama … I wanted to bring more awareness to Magic Moments and what they can do for families,” Amanda Hodnett said.
While she’s on the course, she said she’s going to be running for those who were affected by cancer and those who are fighting it now. “For this, for Magic Moments, for Children’s, there’s really not a lot I wouldn’t do.”