Something as simple as family game night might not mean much, but it’s the world to a child battling pediatric cancer.
On June 23, families who’ve received help from the Las Vegas-based Tyler Robinson Foundation and Florida’s Tom Coughlin Jay Fund had a front-row seat to a special virtual trivia night. The children and their loved ones were joined by TRF’s founders — the Grammy-award winning band Imagine Dragons — along with the evening’s surprise guest: first lady Jill Biden.
“All of you have been through so much, battling cancer in the midst of a global pandemic,” Biden told them. “Your parents and teachers, your doctors and nurses, we’re so proud of your strength and courage.”
She commended the families and children for enduring endless stays in the hospital, the appointments and the treatments, but acknowledged that their joy and laughter is the balm that soothes the roughest of times.
“Every day you are someone’s inspiration,” she said. “But tonight, you’re their competition!”
With that, the first lady gleefully launched the trivia contest, which was guided by DJ Ross Ruben of Live Entertainment Solutions. Imagine Dragons’ full lineup was in attendance, laughing along with the questions and answering the most burning ones about themselves. The kids, meanwhile, partied.
Small children of various ages bounced and danced in their living rooms over Zoom, to their parents’ delight. Family dogs made appearances, and Imagine Dragons’ bassist Ben McKee — wearing a zebra mask — headbanged to the music category.
Much of the work done by the Tyler Robinson Foundation and Tom Coughlin Jay Fund supports families like these. The organizations are there from the diagnosis on, fundraising and providing parents with a much-needed break and children with a more hopeful future.
This isn’t the first time TRF and the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund have teamed up with the Bidens. In 2018, the two nonprofits and the Biden Cancer Initiative launched a joint PSA to support Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
There are also ways you can provide support. You can become a pen pal for TRF, or book trips through a site, Charity Pro Travel, that donates proceeds to TRF.
As Imagine Dragons singer Dan Reynolds put it: “We are here for you.”
Visit trf.org to learn how you can support.
