Nico’s school, Montessori Community School of Salt Lake City, continues to support us in amazing ways. The school held a Zumbathon for Nico, and we are told the energy was incredible. One friend texted to me, “there have to be at least 75 people here, maybe 100, all dancing their butts off for your little boy!” Another friend explained that as the Zumba instructor (also a teacher at the school) encouraged people to “dance for Nico,” the energy in the room exploded as everyone gave it 100% in a show of love and support for our little hero. The Zumbathon ended up raising over $2100.00 for Nico’s medical expenses that night.
This is only one example of how this school has supported our family. Parents of Nico’s classmates brought us dinners twice a week for months. It only stopped because we asked them to as we started to feel like gluttons. As posted earlier, Nico’s class made a special quilt for Nico with all of his friends’ handprints, crafted on Nico’s favorite color (yellow), and covered in Nico’s favorite things (cars and trucks). The class also raised money for groceries and presented over $700.00 in grocery gift cards to Jeff and me. The school alone ordered over 40 Team Nico shirts. Nico’s teachers still visit him regularly, sometimes bringing him special gifts, and always lifting his spirits. His teachers regularly send Nico videos of his classmates singing familiar songs (which he watches over and over while singing along) and sending him special messages (We love you Nico!).
There are so many people to acknowledge, like our friends Kristin and Andrew (aka The Front Porch Fairy) who have left gifts for Nico on our doorstep during particularly bad weeks since he was first diagnosed. Numerous friends, family members, and even friends of family members have sent gifts, cards, purchased shirts and made financial donations. These gestures are incredibly meaningful to us. The words of encouragement, the people still following our updates, each and every communication is a showing of support. All of these things are sustaining – there is nothing that means more than seeing others show concern, love and care for our little boy.
We want everyone to know that we appreciate you and that we can never convey how much gratitude that we feel. This experience has forever changed us. And upon reflection, we realize that in the past we should have given more, done more, reached out more to other people. We also realize how many really amazing and generous people are out there – way, way, way more than we believed to exist in the past. There are more good people than bad, we promise, and this is coming from two people who referred to themselves as misanthropes more than once.
So thank you sincerely from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for caring about our little man, and we promise to pay it forward.