Pickles is launching our first free, open-enrollment programs in the Chicago North Shore later this month. Help spread the word to make sure that every family in the North Shore navigating a parent or guardian's cancer has a chance to enroll their children in 1st-12th grade in a Pickles program.

We are heartbroken to share that last weekend, Ned Smith, a beloved Pickles founding parent, passed away with his family by his side in hospice care after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Carolyn and Mark live in the north suburbs of Chicago with their four kids, Molly, Ellie, James and Henry, and a chocolate lab named Boomer. In January 2019, Mark had a seizure and was diagnosed with stage II brain cancer. For Mark, who was then CEO of Chicago’s beloved pizza institution Lou Malnati’s, life would never be the same.

Jeff and Erika, both airline pilots, live in Wilmette, Illinois with their kids Francesca and Antonio. When Erika, who didn’t have any risk factors, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, the family’s world was turned upside down. Then Jeff was diagnosed with stage IIIb colorectal cancer.

Pickles is a new nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids with a parent or a guardian who has cancer. How? By creating thriving communities of kids supporting kids through their parents’ cancer journeys. Pickles grew organically out of our own experiences as three families with a cancer diagnosis.

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 Ned’s cancer journey, not only for themselves, but also for their four children, Finnegan, Beckett, Eliza, and Cecily.

I walked into the gym facing a circle of chairs ready to facilitate the first family meeting of what came to be known as Pickles. I remember introductions were initially quiet as the parents and children began to introduce themselves and participate in the ice breaker with some hesitation.