Kallie is our bright, beautiful, forever four year old little girl. She was given to us on this earth for only a short time. She left us here (her mom, dad, and sister Kora) to continue living out her legacy. Her time was short, but she changed the world with the time she had. Our world will never be the same. We will remember her kindness, her selflessness, her always wanting to make everyone around her feel special and loved. We will fight to keep spreading her joy. To be happy. To have a thumbs up even when times are hard. We will carry her light with us the rest of our days. We hope to shed just a little bit of that light on such a dark time in a family’s life.

In June of 2021, our world was changed forever. Our three year old daughter Kallie was diagnosed with a terminal form of brain cancer (DMG). She endured awful treatments with grace, optimism, and a beautiful smile on her face. She lost her battle eleven short months later in May of 2022 at the age of four, two months before her fifth birthday. Justin dreamt up the idea of a non-profit bearing Kallie’s name while she was having brain surgery and before we even knew what we were up against. We just knew the feeling we were feeling was unbearable, and we wanted to help others that would be in a similar situation one day. Kallie was always a bright light and continues to be. That dream Justin had was put on hold as we walked Kallie through her fight and lived in each moment, but now that dream has become a reality. And it is how we will keep carrying her legacy.

Our vision is to shed a little light on such a dark time by providing childhood cancer families with the normal, simple experiences they deserve to enjoy. A dinner date night, a movie night, or a living room dance party always brightened our days. Our "bright boxes" contain the tools needed to create that family date night feeling of normalcy and simplicity, in or out of the hospital. In the spirit of our "Optimistic Angel" that never met a stranger, we also encourage love and kindness to a deserving candidate with our "Kalliegator Kind" award. We also aspire to fund research for cures for the deadliest of childhood cancers – specifically DMG/DIPG.

A Bright Box contains the experiences needed to recreate the family date nights we loved so much. These boxes are aimed at making those sweet and simple experiences a family craves so much when their normal is replaced with cancer treatments, hospital stays, and horrible prognoses. Time is precious for families enduring the worst. Every moment spent not thinking about cancer and enjoying life’s simple pleasures is a win.

Diffuse midline glioma/diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma is a brain cancer arising from astrocytes, a type of glial cell in the brain and spinal cord. The only difference in diagnosis is the location. These cancers are considered high grade or grade IV, also known as a glioblastoma. Diffuse means the cancer is not concentrated or well defined. Early on we were introduced to the analogy of tossing a handful of sand into a yard of grass; now try to pick up each grain of sand you just threw. Would it be possible? DMG/DIPG can be further broken down based on specific genetic mutations. These mutations affect treatment plans, that of which there are few. Families are forced to choose standard treatment which only buys time or find a clinical trial with even less success rates than the dismal standard treatment which is about 50/50. From the beginning, families are warned this type of cancer is terminal, incurable. Whatever route they choose, eventually their child will succumb to the disease. So treatment options must be carefully balanced and weighed with quality of life.