The love behind Chandler's Tree Farm

When we talk about heroes, often a larger-than-life person comes to mind – the firefighter who dashes into a burning building to rescue a child or the solder who puts his or her life on the line in a war zone.

It's easy to overlook heroes in our midst, those who are presented with an overwhelming obstacle and then rise to meet that challenge with dignity and grace. Such is the case with Kevin and Dana McBride.

I first met the McBrides almost 10 years ago after hearing about a penny drive at Austin Elementary entitled Chandler's Tree Farm. My first thought was the students were collecting money to plant trees on the school property.

That assumption was wrong. The school was collecting pennies to benefit the children on the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Texas Children's Hospital.

One of the students, Chelsea McBride, had a toddler brother, Chandler, who'd gone through two bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy and radiation at Texas Children's. The McBrides knew how difficult and lonely it was for families on the unit, especially during the holidays.

Back in 1998, Chelsea's classmates, along with the entire school, collected enough money for the McBrides to purchase Christmas gifts for all the patients and their families who could not leave the hospital.

The McBrides loaded up a red wagon and, with 1-year-old Chandler riding in the back, the family delivered gifts to all the patients on the unit as well as brothers and sisters back home.

Chandler quietly passed away in the arms of his mother a year later, a heartbreaking end to a bright young life. The McBrides could have retreated into their own sorrow, become bitter and angry or blamed the world for their loss.

Instead, Dana and Kevin did what very few people could do – they decided to remember the families who were still on the unit, waiting for a miracle.

The first few years after Chandler passed away, Dana and Kevin visited the unit on major holidays – bringing patriotic baskets with goodies on the Fourth of July and candy and decorations on Easter and Mother's Day.

Eventually, they decided to concentrate on Christmas, a happy time for most families but a painful one for those on the ward who are isolated from the rest of the world.

Throughout the year, the McBrides collect money so they can spread holiday cheer on the cancer ward, and this year is no different. Dana said after they get the patient wish list from the nurses, they go shopping, and their living room resembles a department store.

The gifts they purchase includes toiletries, cologne, toys and tokens for the parking garage. They choose gifts specifically for everyone in the family of the child isolated on the unit. The McBrides decorate a tree and put up holiday garland and lights in the lobby.

They load up a little red wagon and Santa takes Chandler's place handing out the gifts. Dana and Kevin understand the fatigue, sorrow and helplessness those mothers and fathers feel watching their children undergo test after test and procedure after procedure.

This is the 11th year for Chandler's Tree Farm, and 100 percent of all the funds collected go directly to the patients and their families. Your donation can help ensure the families on the ward know others care about them and haven't forgotten them as they fight for their child's life.

Donations can be mailed to Dana and Kevin McBride, 13330 Raintree Dr., Montgomery, Texas, 77356. For more information, email chandlerstreefarm@gmail.com or search for Chandler's Tree Farm on Facebook.

There you'll meet the McBrides and the nurses, family members and friends who've had their lives changed by parents who've endured the worst tragedy a parent can imagine but turned their grief and sorrow into a positive outreach to people in the midst of despair.

Yes, heroes dash into danger to help others. Some, like Dana and Kevin, load up a little red wagon with gifts and, in the name of their little boy, spread as much joy as they possibly can in a place where hope can often seem out of reach.

Want to know the definition of a true hero? Look at the people behind Chandler's Tree Farm. There's your answer.

This article was previously published in The Fort Bend Herald.