Founding Family Spotlight: The Smiths
The Smith 6, as their family and friends often call them, have called Wilmette, IL home since Ned accepted a professorship at the nearby Northwestern University in 2013. Five years later, in late December 2018, the family received the shock of their lives when Ned was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an extremely aggressive form of primary brain cancer. Erin and Ned knew it would take a village to navigate their family’s cancer journey, not only for themselves, but also for their four children, Finn (13), Beckett (11), Eliza (9), and Cecily (6).
A key moment came when Erin and Ned sent their children to a summer program for kids impacted by a parent’s cancer, at the encouragement of their friends Jeff and Erika Hlavacek. They got to laugh, play and share with other kids in similar situations. But once camp ended, their kids missed the connection that had helped them so much.
Ned found out that Mark Agnew, whom he’d met a year earlier, had also just been diagnosed with brain cancer. Suddenly the two dads of four had even more in common. One of those commonalities involved their kids, who were struggling in similar ways.
“Our kids were saying the same things,” says Ned. “Feeling very lonely, and needing to be around other people who knew what they were going through.”
So the three families decided to create their own year-round community of kids supporting kids. Ned and Erin suggested that therapist Kelsey Mora, a specialist in helping kids deal with family illness, lead the group.
After the first meeting of all three families, their kids lit up with excitement and joy in a way they hadn’t since their dad’s diagnosis.
“It’s nice to feel the other kids just ‘get it’ without having to explain anything. When you can be with people who just get it,” says Erin, “you’re able to be yourself.”
Now, with Pickles, the Smiths are determined to bring this healing experience to more families. “One of the last phases of grief is finding meaning,” says Erin. “Ned and I have made it our mission to help people going through similar situations. Our kids have seen that and they want to be part of it too.”
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