Elizabeth Beyer shaved her head as a show of solidarity during her son's fight with childhood cancer. Raiden was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in his stomach when he was 3-years-old.
"We did just a lot of day by day. We kept the motto going if you're not laughing, you're crying," she said.
But Elizabeth did shed many tears as her son underwent extensive treatment and surgery. It was almost too much to take for Raiden's grandmother, Melissa Beyer.
"You're seeing your grandchild and your child greatly affected by something that is just horrible," she said with tears in her eyes.
To their surprise, things didn't get much better went they returned home from the hospital.
"All of the care from the nurses, the doctors, and all that extra meal support, you don't have that when you go home," Elizabeth explains.
Raiden's mom became his nurse, doing tube feedings, keeping his medications on track, and driving to doctor's appointments. She did all this while trying to cook, clean, and also care for Raiden's younger brother.
The family was stressed and in survival mode.
"We took it upon ourselves as a family that if we were going to survive, stay afloat, that we had to find something positive in every day," Melissa said.
The family posted daily inspirational messages and things they're thankful for on Raiden's Facebook page. It's what inspired them to name the non-profit organization they're creating, the Positive Every Day Cancer Foundation. Right now, they're delivering what they call "Sacks of Smiles" to cancer patients in the hospital. The bags are stuffed with snacks, coloring books, thank you notes, and stamps, but they have plans to expand to help families transition back to home life.
"The goal of the foundation is to help with your meal planning, keeping the house in order, if there's other siblings of the child, provide daycare assistance," explains Elizabeth.
The Beyer's have already put on a bowling fundraiser. Now, they're asking for $5,000 in donations by Raiden's 5th birthday on July 7th. If they reach that goal, Raiden's grandma will shave her head and donate her hair to Wigs for Kids.
"If we make our goal, it's going to be tremendous, and I will be speechless and bald," laughs Melissa.
It's a symbol of their bond through Raiden's battle, a celebration of his scans showing he's clear of cancer, and an avenue to raise money to build a foundation that will help other families get through their journey when it doesn't seem possible.
Raiden's grandma has been growing her hair out since he was diagnosed with cancer in October 2014. Click here to learn how you can donate to the "Grandma's Hair Goes for Gold" campaign.
