Today we’d like to introduce you to Judi Peters.
Judi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In October of 2009, my 10 year old son, Nick, was diagnosed with leukemia, Fast forward to April 2016, after two relapses, he received a bone marrow transplant from his perfect match sister, Ashley at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Unfortunately, after 7 years of fighting, his body, while cancer-free, could not recover from the demands of the transplant and he passed away on October 3, 2016 or what should have been his senior year of high school.
Nick was incredibly funny, generous, smart, and talented. Throughout his battle which kept him on home-bound services for most of 5th grade, all of ninth grade, most of tenth and a semester as a junior (while prepping, receiving and recovering from the transplant), Nick remained in the top 2% or his class. He turned his time fighting cancer into an opportunity for growth and taught himself how to cook and later how to develop apps for iphone which were often in the top 5 most downloaded apps. He used social media to grow his business (and later tell his story) and had followers from all over the world on instagram and Facebook. He loved making money and, as he stated, “growing his empire”.
Nick had a heart for others, concerned more about others than himself. Each day, he asked the new shift nurses if they had a good night’s rest and if they ate a good breakfast before coming to work before he stated, “OK, lets do this!” He once heard a little one crying in the room next door and, after hearing his story, he got online and ordered some toys from Amazon to be delivered to him in the hospital.
Nick’s generous heart for others, his love for laughter and giving back, led us to start our nonprofit, TeamWalkerPete Foundation named for my son, Nicholas Walker Peters. With a small group of volunteers, we work to help others in our area (4 counties in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas) who are faced with a diagnosis of childhood cancer. We work tirelessly to raise awareness for childhood cancer, the #1 disease killer of children. Our community is filled with gold ribbons, TWP cancer awareness shirts, gold wristbands and more throughout the month of September, Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
*We offer Hospital Go Bags filled with over $200 worth of items you might need for an unexpected trip to the hospital–snacks, blankets, puzzles, crayons, markers, bath essentials, and more plus $100 in gift cards.
*We offer scholarships to graduates of our hometown high schools who are survivors, fighters and SIBLINGS including siblings who have lost a brother or sister. When Nick moved to Heaven, he had a sister at UT-Austin, one at TX A&M and a younger brother in 8th grade living with family friends while his brother fought for his life so we know the impact childhood cancer has on the whole family and wanted to acknowledge that fight as well.
*We offer monetary assistance for families who can reapply every 6 months while their child is in treatment.
*We have a Christmas party at our local Alpaca farm complete with dinner, arts and crafts, s’mores and hot cocoa, Santa with presents for the kids and their siblings, gift cards for parents, lots of photo ops, a dinosaur show, and walking the alpacas. It is a night where they can forget about cancer for a while just be kids. So far, we have not turned anyone away even if they are a 10-year survivor. We want to celebrate them too!
*We offer Nick’s Golden Ticket (kind of a mini Make-a-Wish experience) for any family heading out of the Valley for transplant or a referral to hospice. These are tailored to their likes and interests, (we just did a painting party for a child and 7 of her friends before transplant)
*Sadly, we also offer funeral assistance and have had to write those checks way to often.
We are honored to carry on Nick’s legacy through all of these ways (and more) and hope we have made him proud!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Obviously the cancer treatment itself posed challenges–7 years, 2 relapses, 1 bone marrow transplant, countless transfusions, chemos, radiation, hospital stays and loss of friends.
While mostly a smooth road, starting the Foundation has posed challenges as well. Luckily, because so many followed Nick’s fight, we had a great group of volunteers who donated their time, money and effort to get us started. 10 years later, we are still small and our volunteers have come and gone, we are providing assistance to more and more families. It is a LOT of work, and our volunteers have their own careers and families so, sometimes, it feels like I am doing it all alone but then along comes someone else to step in to help and we keep moving.
The biggest emotional struggle is when we have to help with funeral assistance. It brings back a lot of memories but I always want to be there for those families and feel it is almost my job to attend those funerals and offer a hug from a mom who knows.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Mostly answered this on a previous question, but
*Faith (prayers)
*Financial assistance to families who have a child with cancer
*Hospital GO Bags
*Student Scholarships (local patients AND siblings)
*Christmas at the Ranch
Because we have personally had a child with cancer, we understand the emotional, financial, physical challenges a childhood cancer diagnosis can have on the whole family and work to provide for those needs.
How do you think about happiness?
My family! We have faced the unimaginable and come out stronger; stronger together, stronger FOR each other and Stronger for others.
My grandson, Coe, was born on my son Nick’s birthday. Coe’s mom was Nick’s bone marrow donor. I see a lot of Nick in Coe, in his smile, his playful spirit.
Giving back to others gives me a sense of purpose. There is a quote by Stephanie Sparkles that hits close to home: “I love when people that have been through Hell, walk out of the fire carrying buckets of water for those still consumed by the fire”. I strive to be that person.
Contact Info:
- Email: teamwalkerpete@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamwalkerpete/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Teamwalkerpete
- TIkTok: https://tiktok.com/@twp7460
