To Inspire:

Twice a year The Joseph Group team volunteers at local nonprofit organizations. This week our team had the opportunity to volunteer with Way to Battle out of Canal Winchester, Ohio.

Way to Battle was started by The Martin family with the mission to spread the message that “no one battles alone” and to help bring awareness to the battles that might be unseen in the world around us. To do this, they use the simple tool of stuffed dogs, known as Battle Pups. These Battle Pups are shipped all over the country to people of all ages, so they know they aren’t battling alone.

The idea of Way to Battle all began with Brady. Brady was diagnosed with High Risk Pre B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on June 10, 2021. Two weeks later the doctors discovered he had an extremely rare mutation. In fact, he is only the 65th person in the world to have been found with this mutation.

If you know anything about pediatric cancer, then you know that 1 in 5 children won’t survive it. Those that do survive are very likely to face extremely hard things even after their cancer has been beaten.

Eight months after a life-saving bone marrow transplant thanks to his twin brother, Blake, Brady’s cancer returned.

The Martin Family was devastated and heartbroken. His transplant had failed and the options and outlook were bleak.

But his story wasn’t over.

Thankfully, Brady was accepted into a clinical trial at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and today Brady is coming up on two years CANCER FREE.

So how did a little boy fighting cancer come up with such a unique idea? It started with a single gift of a stuffed animal given to one of his oncology nurses’ babies who had to have open heart surgery immediately after being born. Brady and his mom wrote a note and at the end included Psalm 18:39 “You have armed me with strength for the battle.” Brady loved delivering the gift so much that the next day they bought 3 more stuffed animals and passed them out in the lobby of Children’s Hospital.

I have seen firsthand the joy these little stuffed dogs can bring to people going through tough times. I have also personally had the opportunity to send Battle Pups to a dear friend and her family who were in a breast cancer fight. These pups can be sent to individuals, families, classrooms, and military members and families – anyone who is battling something can receive a Battle Pup.

Want to become involved? They are always looking for help collaring the pups to be ready to ship, which is what our team had the pleasure of assisting with. Additionally, each year Way to Battle holds a Warrior Walk and it is coming up on Sunday, May 3^rd in Canal Winchester. As part of this walk you will journey through 8 different stops that feature inspiring videos of warriors sharing their battles and the impact the Way to Battle mission has had on their lives. Then at the end there is an Epic Block Party with fun for the whole family. To learn more, or even sign up for the walk, please visit waytobattle.com.

As we head into the weekend maybe take time to think about how you can spread joy or comfort to those around you to ensure that no one battles alone.

Written by Kim Kline, Relationship Manager, Retirement Plan Services