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If ever there was a family that knows the value of friends, it’s the Brunos.
When their oldest daughter, Alyssa, was diagnosed with brain stem cancer, their co-workers donated time off so Lori Bruno could stay home with Alyssa without losing pay. When medical bills mounted, friends and Henrietta neighbors hosted fundraisers. When Alyssa needed cheer for her sixth birthday, a teacher sent an email requesting cards and lucky pennies. Tens of thousands of people from around the world responded.
So, when Alyssa passed away shortly after that birthday, it made sense for the Brunos to start a foundation in her memory and help other families.
“When you’re worrying about a child being sick, you certainly don’t want to have to worry about the bills coming at the end of the month,” said Chris Bruno, father to Alyssa and now to Addison, who is 3 and looks like her sister.
“Alyssa taught us about living life to the fullest and about helping people out,” he said, and now Alyssa’s Angels has given gift cards and other support to hundreds of people who were in danger of falling through the cracks.
The foundation hosts fundraisers throughout the year, like an Easter egg hunt and an upcoming euchre tournament. There’s no paid staff. No agency overhead. It’s a simple, streamlined process. “I take pride in that the assistance goes directly to families in need,” Bruno said.
I imagine it’s good to give back, healing in fact, for a family that will always grieve – and I know it’s comforting to me to know that Alyssa is still inspiring people.
While I never met Alyssa, I covered her story from the time she first started treatment until it was time for me to write her too-soon obituary. I did my best to honor her memory in that final piece, but I remember being not quite satisfied with it. I felt I had missed something I couldn’t name. Now I know. Her story wasn’t done.
Some day the Brunos will take Addison to a storage building that holds thousands of birthday cards and letters.
“When she’s older, we’ll let her read them so she knows how important her sister was,” Chris Bruno said. “She’ll understand one day.”
I’m sure she will.
To learn more about Alyssa’s Angels, visit: http://www.alyssasangels.org/
About Marketta Gregory
I never meant to be a columnist. I trained to be a newspaper reporter -- one who tried to her best to be objective. I covered religion for a few years and felt like it was the best job a curious woman like me could ever have. Every day I got to listen as people told me about the things that were most important to them, the things that were sacred. But the newspaper industry was changing and few papers could afford to have an army of speciality reporters. So, I moved to cover the suburbs where, as luck would have it, they have plenty of religion, too.
Eventually, children came into the picture. One by birth and another two months later by foster care/adoption. I struggled to chase breaking news and be home at a decent hour, so I made the move to what we journalists call the dark side: I took a job in public relations. (Don¹t worry. I work for a great non-profit, so it¹s not dark at all.)
When I gave my notice at the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle, the executive editor asked me to consider writing a column on a freelance basis. She didn¹t want the newspaper to lose touch with its religious sources, and she still wanted consistent faith coverage. I was terrified. It took me about 10 months to get back to her with a solid plan and some sample columns.
And so it began, this journey of opening up my heart to strangers.
