By the push of a button, hope is deployed!
Meet Zion, Willow, Cove, and baby Meadow (at the time, just a few weeks before she was born). These kiddos have had a rough year so far after Zion was diagnosed with Leukemia in December of 2021. The Arizona heat leaves few places to safely explore outdoors, but Zion and his siblings have even fewer places to play due to Zion’s weakened immune system. A playset of their very own was definitely called for.
Keeping Secrets
In Spring of 2020, a few exciting boxes arrived at their house, and mama and papa bear, Beka and Nicholas, helped their kiddos explore the odd-shaped pieces of wood, bags of metal hardware and large pieces of green plastic, but didn’t tell them what the kit would create. The crew got started building and pretty soon, these super smart kids had some guesses as to what they were building. “It was a lot of fun to see it come together and to see their excitement increase seeing what it was!,” Nicholas said. In just a few short hours, this Arizona family had their very own backyard playset.
The Light in the Tunnel
Four-year-old Zion was diagnosed with Leukemia after never fully recovering from a fall cold. His papa bear took him to get checked out and just a few hours later, the family was in the emergency room at Phoenix Children’s Hospital with a cancer diagnosis. Nicholas shared, “We went from being a normal family to a family with a child with cancer, all within 12 hours.”
“My dad had passed from cancer just 1 year prior, so for me in particular there were a lot of emotions I was still processing,” Nicholas shared. “For Beka, it was something she never imagined would impact our family.” After a stay in the hospital for initial treatment, the family returned to their Arizona home. Zion’s weakened immune system kept him and his siblings from playing around other kids or being in public spaces. The family heard about Roc Solid Foundation through a family friend and applied for a Roc Solid on Demand playset.
In the Spring of 2021, the family got their playset and built it together just in time for summer.
“We used to spend a lot of time outdoors exploring in England, then coming to Arizona where it’s mostly desert was already hard enough. Then with Zion’s diagnosis and not being able to go as many public places, this has been a wonderful addition to our backyard and gets the kids outside playing together again.” Beka and Nicholas shared.
“We thank you for doing something that has such an impact on these sweet little lives.”
Zion still has a long way to go in treatment, but the power of community to rally around their family makes all the difference. “We have received a tremendous amount of support from our church, and would not be as well off as we are if it weren’t for them. A community like you have built and like our local church is needed during these trials,” Zachary and Beka shared. The family welcomed their fourth kiddo, Meadow, just a few weeks after completing the playset. The family looks forward to seeing all of their kiddos growing up together on their playset. “We thank you for doing something that has such an impact on these sweet little lives.”
Want to rally around families like Zion’s? Here’s how you can support the ROD program:
- Sponsor a ROD playset as a family or gather your community to support a family.
- Join the Beam, our monthly giving community or make a one-time donation to build hope for kids fighting cancer, just like Zion.
- Spread the word! Follow Roc Solid on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok and spread the news about building hope for kids fighting cancer.
