Meet Our Families

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. 

For 11-year-old Trevor and his family, the battle began in August when he was admitted through the emergency room at Albany Medical Center for severe flu like symptoms that was ultimately diagnosed as pneumonia.

Unfortunately, pneumonia was not the only issue Trevor was battling. Just a day later, his Mom Deborah heard the words no parent wants to hear – “Your son has cancer, Stage-3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma”.
Trevor, who is also autistic and non-verbal, was extremely sick for several days. Thankfully, he rallied and responded to the treatments and did so with strength and a positive attitude. With their world on hold, his mom and brother never left his side, and visits from his grandparents lifted their spirits during his lengthy inpatient stay.

In late October, after learning of some financial challenges that they were facing, the team at Albany Medical Center suggested to Deborah that they help her apply for a Building on Love grant. Within 48 hours of receiving their application, our board approved $5,000 in funding to assist the family with three months of their mortgage, utility, and internet/cell phone bills. Thanks to our donors, a huge burden was lifted for Deborah and her family.

The Building on Love family helped allow Deborah to focus her attention on Trevor and her family. Their bills were paid, and they were able to be together when they needed each other most.

Building on Love’s mission supported over 30 families just like Trevor’s last year, and we are poised to double that in the coming year. But we need our community’s help to keep growing and giving. Whatever you give today, you’ll help “save the day” for a family tomorrow.

With jobs on hold and bills piling up, we answer the call for needy families. We help families as soon as possible after a child’s diagnosis. Our help allows them to focus on their child’s medical plan and keeps them on solid financial footing, so they have time to understand what is ahead, and plan accordingly.

Deborah shared what the financial help meant to her family, “All I could think about was my child and family. But I knew bills were piling up, and I knew 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. They blessed us with gift cards which eased more worries and made the Holidays extra special.”

The impact Building on Love has on our families is far more than financial. We are a reminder to families who feel isolated that there are people they’ll never meet willing to help as much as they can.

During one of the worst experiences a family can go through, they helped financially but also became an extended part of our family”, Deborah shared, “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.”

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.