Meet Our Families
We provide temporary financial support to families supporting a loved one with a recent life-altering medical diagnosis. We pay essential non-medical bills such as mortgage/ rent payments, utilities, auto payments, telephone/internet access, etc.
The grants offered through Building on Love provide a temporary financial bridge to families, allowing them to focus on the health of their loved one. We are proud to introduce you to our families. Each of these families have faced a life-altering diagnosis and all of the uncertainty and upheavals such news brings. Thanks to our family of donors, we have been able to help our families at their greatest time of need. Our goal was to support families as early on in their journey as possible so they had space to take a breath and assess and plan for their financial health while their loved one battled a serious illness.
“They were there for us emotionally and helped us work through the concerns or questions we had on our plate. The support and love that Building on Love gives to you in such difficult times and the continuous support that they keep giving, makes them a forever part of your family.”
The Sweet Family’s Building on Love Story…
Lucas Sweet was born prematurely on August 29th, 2020. He was rushed to Albany Med the moment he was born. He stayed in the NICU for the next few days and was doing well.
Until September 6th when he developed the first of three meningitis infections. The 2nd infection would break the ventricular space in his brain. This led to a shunt being placed to help drain fluid build up inside his skull. He would stay in the NICU until November 30th, 2020 when he would return home.
He seemed to be doing well until the shunt failed on January 12th, 2021. He was rushed back to Albany Med to have the shunt removed and to clear the third meningitis infection wreaking havoc on his body.
He was discharged from Albany Med PICU on February 21st, 2021 to hospice. He gradually began to improve and graduated to palliative care officially on May 28th, 2021!
Building on Love stepped in for The Sweet Family in October 2020. Because of the donations we received, we were able to give them gas cards to assist in getting back and forth to Albany Med on a daily basis from Queensbury. We also provided them with groceries and utility payments.
The Sweet Family was adopted for Christmas by Building on Love in 2020 as well, and so they were able to have a Christmas filled with gifts and joy they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
“I didn’t know that strangers did this. I didn’t realize that there were decent people in this world.”
Trevor’s Building on Love Story…
For 11-year-old Trevor and his family, life changed overnight.
In August, Trevor was rushed to Albany Medical Center with severe flu-like symptoms, which were later diagnosed as pneumonia. But pneumonia was only the beginning. Just a day later, his mother, Deborah, heard the words no parent ever expects to hear: “Your son has cancer.Stage-3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.”
To add to the challenge, Trevor, who is autistic and non-verbal, faced an uphill battle against his illness. For days, he was critically ill, but with immense strength, he fought back, responding to treatments with resilience. Throughout this ordeal, his family never left his side. Deborah and Trevor’s brother stayed with him, while his grandparents provided additional support and
comfort during his long hospital stay.
As the medical bills mounted, so did the financial stress.
In late October, when Albany Medical Center’s team learned of the financial difficulties the family was facing, they suggested Deborah apply for a Building on Love grant. Within just 48 hours, her application was approved, and $5,000 in assistance was provided to cover three months of the family’s mortgage, utility bills, and internet/cell phone payments.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Deborah could focus on what truly mattered—Trevor’s recovery and the well-being of her family. With their financial worries eased, they could remain together during the most challenging time of their lives.
Building on Love’s impact on families like Trevor’s goes beyond financial aid.
As Deborah shared, “All I could think about was my child and family. But I knew the bills were piling up, and things would get rough financially. Building on Love took those worries away. They even rallied a local hockey league to adopt us for the holidays, blessing us with gift cards that eased more worries and made the holidays extra special.”
Last year, Building on Love supported over 50 families facing similar crises. With your help, we are ready to double that number this year. Your donation today will help “save the day” for a family tomorrow. When jobs are put on hold and bills pile up, we answer the call—helping families focus on their child’s health and providing them with the financial stability they need to
plan for the future.
The impact of your support is lasting.
Deborah describes how the help from Building on Love went beyond financial relief: “During one of the worst experiences a family can go through, Building on Love didn’t just provide financial support—they became a part of our family. They were there emotionally, helping us work through the many concerns and questions we had. The love and continuous support they give
makes them a forever part of our family.”
The Domino Family’s Building on Love Story…
Thomas was born with transposition of the great arteries and faced several surgeries and countless procedures over his 3-month stay in the NICU at Albany Medical Center.
Through it all, Thomas’ Mom and Dad and big brother never left his side. They were there to comfort and support him as he overcame every challenge that came his way.
His parents had to take leaves of absences from their jobs, and with no income coming in, they faced a looming financial crisis on top of their son’s medical condition.
Thanks to our generous supporters, Building on Love was able to provide much needed financial support at a critical point along their journey. Just as the bills began to pile up at home, we were there for them. We were able to cover their rent, two auto loans and cell phone payments for three months.
