“It takes a village, they say, to raise a kid, and it really takes one to care for a sick kid, and we're just proud to be a part of that for other families in our community.”
Jeff and Kim Dollar are the founders of the Braxton Dollar Foundation, Inc. In the wake of a life-changing moment, the Dollars decided to use their story to impact others.
“We help families with a child fighting cancer,” Kim explains. “We help them mostly with expenses, things like your mortgage payments, your car payments, auto insurance, power bill, water bill, etc. during your child's battle with cancer.”
The Dollars broached this difficult subject due to cancer’s impact on their own lives. At just four years old, their youngest son Braxton was diagnosed with DIPG, terminal brain cancer.
“Braxton was a full of life kid. He was always giggling, laughing, playing. All the guys that came over loved him. We have pictures of him in football helmets, tackling them in the living room and riding them as bulls, stuff like that,” Jeff says.
“The day he was diagnosed, his eye was just cutting in. We thought he had a lazy eye. We took him in and found out that he had a brain tumor, so he had a 0% chance of survival. It was inoperable and untreatable. He was just laughing and giggling and spinning around in the room, he didn't know any difference. So that was kind of our start in it. Then the process that we went through in that journey is what led us to open the Braxton Dollar Foundation, Inc.”
In spite of this struggle, the Dollars weren’t alone. They credit many of their friends and family in helping them through this difficult time through donations and fundraisers to help with the medical bills. And while there’s no way around the reality of the hardship and the emotions cancer brings, they’re grateful to the people around them for their support.
“We didn't really suffer in that regard,” Jeff says. “And it was all due to the love and the support of other people. When the dust settled, we didn't owe anything and we had money left over. We thought, ‘we're going to use this money to help somebody else that's not as fortunate as us.’ And then it kind of snowballed from there.”
In the middle of a difficult season, it can be difficult to know exactly what needs are the most important. That’s why the Braxton Dollar Foundation takes it upon themselves to handle every request they can think of, to support families during their child's battle with cancer.
“We handle just about everything,” Kim says. “We accept the applications from families, make sure that they are legitimate through the hospital. Then we handle getting those bills processed and paid. For some families, it's not a bill that's needed. It's more like gas cards to get to and from treatment or gift cards for groceries or even just restaurants while they're in the hospital.”
Jeff and Kim have also been able to use their story to assist other parents through the process as well. By being present for these moments, they hope to take on the burden of some of the emotional labor required to contend with such a difficult task.
“We've gotten close to lots of kids that have passed away and that's the hard part, but you did get to enjoy them and enjoy their spirit and who they are. Even though there’s not always a successful journey in cancer, even those kids that pass away, you always cherish the relationship you made with them. And of course we have the victories. We have several kids, we've supported their families where the kids are in survival clinic and they've made it, we see them and they always hug us and tell us we wouldn't have made it without y'all,” Jeff says.
The Zachos Team is proud to support the Braxton Dollar Foundation and the incredible work they do. If you’d like to donate, click here.
"Monthly, I have a random guy come up to me and say that we've changed their life and the way they think,” Jeff says. “I run into men all the time that come up to me and say, ‘hey, man, your story and your journey and the Braxton Dollar Foundation made me a better husband and a better father, just reading the stories and seeing what these families go through, making me kind of realize I take things for granted.’"
Written by Paul Zachos III