‘We needed to pay it forward’
Nonprofit that helps kids with cancer opens pop-up shop
NEW CANAAN — A Bridgeport Bluefish game gave the Vieira family a breath of normalcy just months after their daughter was diagnosed with cancer and was actively battling the disease. During the slight repreive, they decided they wanted others to experience the same relief.
That was the moment when Katrina and Daniel Vieira decided what would soon become LivFree, a nonprofit organization that sponsors fun outings for families impacted with pediatric cancer.
“With all the support that we received, we felt we needed to pay it forward and this is one of the ways that we saw,” Daniel Vieira said.
The Shelton family brought its nonprofit, which has helped over 300 families, to
107 Main St. in New Canaan.
The Vieiras found out that their daughter Lauren, who they call Liv, was diagnosed with Leukemia Feb. 11, 2015, when she was only 16 months old.
“We were devastated, obviously,” Daniel, Lauren’s father, told Hearst Connecticut Media.
Her chemotherapy treatment spanned two-and-ahalf years.
“Leukemia is interesting because you go into remission fairly fast and the treatment is still long. So she went into remission a little over a month after her diagnosis,” Vieira said. “St. Patrick’s Day was her remission day.”
The six-year anniversary of that remission day is coming up next month.
“We were pretty naive to cancer, as we were going through our treatment, we found more and more families and neighbors actually going through it,” Vieira said.
Vieira said that this past year, with many residents quarantining to stop the spread of COVID-19, may provide just a peek into the lives of what families like his have endured and continue to go through.
“The pandemic is actually setting a little light into what pediatric cancer families go through because we quarantine ourselves for months on end because the immune system of our child is so low due to chemotherapy treatments,” he said.
“For a few months we weren’t able to go anywhere except for doctor visits, which were basically it, and maybe a trip to the supermarket,” he said. “That didn’t include kids, it was just mom and dad doing that.”
Lauren was treated by Yale New Haven Hospital. The chemotherapy “made her lethargic, sick, it compromised her immune system” and eventually she lost her hair.
“When her immune system started getting a little bit stronger, we went to a Bridgeport Bluefish game,” her father said “It just meant the world to us. Just to be out and kind of regain a little bit of normalcy for a while. That is where we decided that we wanted to pay it forward. We knew what we were going through and we knew other families were going through the same things.”
Lauren is now seven. She loves to dance, her father said, and she has been doing it for the past three years.
“She has been very involved with some of our fund-raising events, some of the events that we have done with kids. We try to keep her involved because she was young when she went through it,” he said.
The nonprofit has acquired the use of a space on Main Street for free from landlord Robert Iannazzo until it is either rented or sold. They hope to share it with others until the 1,800-square-foot space gets a permanent tenant or owner.
Even if a tenant is found, the Vieiras were told there is office space upstairs. Iannazo told the nonprofit that they will be able to use it, according to Vieira.
The nonprofit decided to move into the Main Street building, its first office location, because it wants a bigger platform to spread the word.
“Since we have been there, there has been a lot more interest in the space, which was kind of the idea,” he said. “We made it look nice.”
The Vieiras would like to share the space with local businesses that have been affected by COVID-19 and who need a place to share.
“As long as we have the space we want to utilize (it) with others,” he said.“I really want to get the local community involved.”
He hopes to share it with the likes of artists, yoga enthusiasts and others who “align with what we are doing.”
On St. Patrick’s Day this year, the sixth anniversary of Lauren’s remission, they will celebrate by inviting the public to visit and create greeting cards that will be sent off to hospitals across the state for children battling cancer.
Daniel pointed out that LivFree is still a small operation. “There is no way that we could afford to rent any store fronts, let alone in New Canaan,” he said. He expressed appreciation for the opportunity for the nonprofit to fill the space it is in.
There, they aim to help families with offspring under 26, since people are treated as pediatric patients until that age. Many other organizations don’t support patients over 18, he said.
He hopes to raise $240,000 this year, which he said will directly aid 200 families that have a child with cancer.
“We would like to get the people in New Canaan behind us to help raise that money and people can do individual fundraisers based off our fundraising,” he said. “It is a fun way to get everyone involved.”
After starting as a tiny operation in 2016, the nonprofit has now had the ability to help over 300 families in three years.
The nonprofit asks families what they like to do together. “Whatever they normally like to do, if they like to go to concerts, to amusement parks, ball games,” Vieira said.
He continued, saying that the nonprofit then organizes an itinerary to provide transportation, tickets to the events and then additional funding for food or souvenirs. They also offer overnight hotel stays, if needed. They have also sponsored families to attend a range of activities, including the musical “Hamilton,” a New York Yankees game, a Medieval Times show, local amusement parks, Disney on Ice and a Bruce Springstein concert.
Currently, during COVID, they observe social distancing guidelines by making sure masks are worn and following occupancy requirements.
“We are sending families to outdoor events such as skiing trips and tubing trips,” Vieira said “We don’t just focus on Connecticut. We focus (on) the whole United States.”
He continued, saying that when families have specific requests, there is no destination too far that LivFree will not try to make a reality for a family.
“What we found with LivFree is that we are obviously giving them a sense of normalcy, but we are also giving them something to look forward to, give them a sense of hope and joy. When they are there they forget about cancer for a while. That is one of the most important things,” Vieira said, clearly speaking from experience.
As for one of New Canaan’s newest nonprofit, Vieira said that the town has been very welcoming. “We have met with the town officials” he said.“Our neighbors have been great. They have been extremely welcoming.
“Come say hi,” he said, beckoning New Canaan residents. “See what we are doing. Learn a little bit more about us and potentially get behind us and support us.”