How a Mother’s Fight for Hope Connected with Target’s Heart
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In August 2022, just six days after starting her new job at Target, Michelle Renfro’s life changed forever. Her 18-month-old son, Colt, was diagnosed with a brain and spinal cord tumor and the odds didn’t look good.
“Our world was instantly flipped upside down,” Michelle remembers. “We were given a very grim prognosis based on the size of the tumor, the location and his age.” Within days of diagnosis, Colt underwent two surgeries, just a week apart.“ Despite the odds, he pulled through both surgeries with minimal complications,” Michelle remembers. “We were given a glimpse of a child we had never seen before. We saw a light in his eyes, a smile, a laugh, and days without pain that brought us so much hope.”
For a short time, they felt like they had been given a gift: time to breathe, to think about next steps and to hope. Unfortunately, it didn’t last. As they sought second opinions and worked through therapy, Colt’s condition began to decline rapidly. The light they had glimpsed started to fade. He struggled to walk, couldn’t sleep and cried constantly. An emergency MRI revealed what they feared… the tumor had grown. Given its location within the spinal cord, it seemed every bit of motor function he lost would be nearly impossible to regain.
Local surgeons didn’t believe Colt would survive a third surgery. With no choice left, Michelle and her family packed up everything and, within 12 hours, drove to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee. They carried with them the small but powerful source of comfort—their Roc Solid Ready Bag that was delivered shortly after Colt’s diagnosis.
“That bag became a bright spot we carried everywhere,” Michelle says. “It was filled with essentials, but more than that, it carried messages of hope. It made us feel seen when our world had stopped spinning.”
At St. Jude, a surgeon performed what Michelle calls a true miracle—removing the entire tumor. Nearly three years later, Colt remains disease-free. He has some fine motor deficits, but he continues to rise above the impossible at every turn. “Colt has defied all odds and is the bravest soul I have ever met,” his mom testifies.
When Roc Solid Foundation Stepped In
That Ready Bag was Michelle’s first connection to Roc Solid Foundation. It was delivered in the midst of a crisis and inside were essentials for long hospital stays—toiletries, blankets, even phone chargers—along with handwritten notes of encouragement and messages of hope printed everywhere.
Months later and just days before Colt’s third birthday, Roc Solid invited the Renfros to Virginia Beach to receive the gift of play in the form of backyard play structures. For the first time in months, there were no hospitals, no doctors, no appointments. Just kids being kids.
“There is not a day that goes by that we don’t see them outside on the playset or cooking in their playhouse that we don’t realize how incredibly lucky we are,” Michelle shares. “[Play] is something that is ripped from both the cancer patient and their siblings the moment they are diagnosed and this gives back a beautiful piece of the world and the life they are so unfairly thrown into.”
Six Days In: From New Employee to Lifelong Connection
When Michelle reflects on those early days after diagnosis, she always comes back to one number: six.
“Colt was diagnosed six days after I started working at Target,” she says. “The people I had known for six whole days before my world was shattered ended up being the people that carried me through the hardest days.”
Target gave her the flexibility to keep her job while caring for Colt and supported her family through every step of their journey. Even more, she discovered she wasn’t alone. Just three months later, another Target team member’s son was also diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Those connections, along with the hope she experienced through Roc Solid, sparked a new mission for Michelle: bringing together the company that stood by her and the nonprofit that gave her family hope.
A Partnership Powered by People
When Michelle shared her story with Target leaders and introduced them to Roc Solid Foundation, the response was immediate.
“They were incredibly inspired,” Michelle says. “Target has a lot of people who care deeply and truly want to use their resources to help others.”
That passion led to a new chapter: Target employees coming together to host a Roc Solid Ready Bag Packing Party and packing over 300 hospital Ready Bags that will be delivered to families fighting pediatric cancer. For Michelle, it’s a full-circle moment.
“Target and Roc Solid both provided such hope and light during the darkest time in my life,” she says. “To see them bring joy to other families together is incredible.”
Why Corporate Partnerships Matter
Michelle believes partnerships like this carry a message families desperately need.
“Having a company like Target partner with Roc Solid shows people who are going through this that someone else DOES understand. They DO care,” she says. “There are people and big companies working together to make a difference when you feel invisible. There is so much we take for granted, and for a company to use their resources to help a nonprofit bring joy or necessities to someone in need—it is the best thing they can do.”
For families facing the unthinkable, the impact can’t be measured. What may seem like just a backpack filled with supplies is actually a lifeline of hope. When companies like Target step in, the ripple effect multiplies.
Carrying Hope Forward
For everyone involved, this is about more than a one-day event. It’s about showing families fighting pediatric cancer that they are seen and that companies and communities alike are standing with them in their fight.
“I hope Target employees know that in packing a Ready Bag, they have changed someone’s life,” Michelle says. “This bag will see the unspeakable, but it will also carry hope. One day at a time.”
As for the future, Michelle hopes to see this partnership grow, giving more families like hers moments of joy, strength and hope.
Together, Roc Solid Foundation and Target are proving what is possible when companies and communities unite around families fighting childhood cancer.
If you are interested in making a donation to help provide Roc Solid Ready Bags and backyard play structures to families like Colt’s, click here.
To learn about sponsorship opportunities for Ready Bag Packing Parties and play projects, go to our website to learn more.
If you or a family you know is fighting pediatric cancer and interested in receiving a Roc Solid Ready Bag or play structure, let us know by clicking here.
