The Dreer Family Story
When Jimmy became ill two years ago, his father, Patrick, was in Turkey.  As a member of the U.S. Air Force, Patrick could do little for his child and family until he returned from his assignment.  In Texas, Jimmy, his mother Alyson and his two younger siblings, Joey and Carolyn, tried to find what was making Jimmy sick.  Since they were far from their extended family, Alyson had little help with the doctor visits and their three children.

After Patrick returned to the United States, Jimmy was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).  Fortunately the life threatening cancer was treatable with a 130-week treatment, which included chemotherapy. 

“When you are at the beginning of that (the treatments), it’s like you’re at the beginning of a marathon.  The programs that Believe In Tomorrow provide are like the weigh stations where you can recharge yourself.  It breaks up the monotony of treatments and rejuvenates the family,” said Patrick, after participating in his family’s third stay at a Believe In Tomorrow retreat house.

After 20 weeks of treatment, the Dreers moved to Washington, D.C. for Patrick’s reassignment.  While receiving treatment at the Walter Reed Medical Center, the family was invited to Fenwick Island, Del., for a week-long stay and to weekend getaways in Ocean City, Md.

Recognizing the additional stress of military families when they have a critically ill child, Believe In Tomorrow started their Military Initiative in 2005.  The Initiative gives priority for retreat programs to military families with critically ill children.  Two new houses, the Believe In Tomorrow House On The Bay and the Believe In Tomorrow House at Pinnacle Falls will be dedicated specifically for military families.

As with most families, Patrick’s job continued even though his son was critically ill.  He was fortunate and was not deployed, but he still had to travel throughout the United States and was gone for up to 10 days at a time.  Alyson managed the hospital visits and her children alone, which sometimes proved difficult.  When a treatment was scheduled with an overnight hospital stay, Alyson, having no one to watch the younger children, purchased special supplies to make the “hospital sleepover” more fun.

The Dreers explained that being so far away from the extended family changed the support system most civilian families have.  Instead of grandfathers, aunts and uncles that most people can rely on for support during this difficult time, military families rely on neighbors, friends and coworkers. 

“Our friends and neighbors did step up to the plate, but you can only ask so much from friends and neighbors,” explained Patrick.  “When Believe In Tomorrow steps up, it allows you to have a support system.  It gives you a chance to come back together as a family.”