Jericho’s Milleridge Inn recently hosted “An Evening of Magic”; a fundraising dinner benefiting The Sarah Grace Foundation for children with cancer.
Sarah was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2002, at the age of only 11 years old. The brave young girl underwent spinal taps, round after round of high dose chemo, cranial and full body irradiation, and a bone marrow transplant that failed, followed by more intense chemo. Sarah kept pushing, never losing her drive or her smile, until Halloween 2002 when she struggled with long treatments and a chemo seizure that mimicked a stroke. A few days later Sarah told her parents “I don’t want to be sick anymore” and a week later she passed away.
The Sarah Grace Foundation was established in 2003 to honor and perpetuate the memory of Sarah, daughter of Matt and Marissa, and sister to James. “No situation is more difficult for a family than the terminal illness of a child, no matter how old that child is,” said Matt Weippert. “Cancer is no laughing matter but laughing is what Sarah did best. Throughout Sarah’s treatment she laughed and inspired all those around her with her smile, and our mission, our challenge, has been to pass along that smile and inspiration to other children.”
An Evening of Magic was one of many events the foundation puts on to bring together those affected by childhood cancer and those who want to support efforts in battling it. “We gather to remember Sarah, to share a laugh, a story, perhaps a tear” the Weipperts stated in the event pamphlet. “But most importantly, we are here to give hope to children with cancer and remind them that someone is watching and dedicated to providing a better quality of life for them.”
Each year in the U.S. approximately 16,000 children are diagnosed with cancer. “The numbers are staggering,” said Weippert. “We can’t control them, but we can make a difference in the lives of these children.”
This was not the first year the Milleridge Inn has hosted the Sarah Grace Foundation. “They haven’t done this in [about] five years,” explained Pam Arnone, banquet manager for the Milleridge Inn. After a brief hiatus from hosting the foundation’s events, the Milleridge Inn was happy to welcome the Sarah Grace Foundation back to their event space.
“We are super, super excited,” said Arnone. “Because this is just a great thing that they are doing for their daughter.”
This year’s event was unlike any other that the Sarah Grace Foundation had hosted at the Milleridge. “For many years, Marissa and Matt used to have a comedian come in,” said Arnone. This year, however, the foundation decided to have a different form of entertainment. As they planned the event, Arnone recommended Schwartz, an award-winning magician who donated his time to the foundation.
The event was attended by almost 70 people who enjoyed dinner, entered raffles, and watched – or took part in – some magic. Weippert also read a poem which drew teary eyes from the crowd; “You can shed tears that I have gone…. Or you can smile because I have lived. You can close your eyes and pray that I’ll come back… Or you can open your eyes and see all I’ve left. Your heart can be empty because you can’t see me. Or you can be full of the love we shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday… Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember me and only that I’ve gone… Or you can cherish my memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, Be empty and turn your back… Or you can do what I’d want, Smile, open your eyes, love and go on!”
