Day 1: Poli's Story

The past couple of years have been tough for Poli and her two teenage children, Ryen (18) and Robin (16). Poli had packed up her children and moved from Arizona to Lincoln in order for the children to be closer to their father. Just after moving here, and two days prior to starting the job she had depended on for the relocation, Poli was notified of a hiring freeze and the job was no longer available. Here she sat in a new state with two teenagers and no job.

Through the help of family, Poli was able to get by. About a year ago, she accepted a position here in Lincoln and started working full-time. Things seemed to be looking up for her until she lost her new job the day after Christmas last year. It was around this same time that Poli had a follow up scan for a brain aneurism that had been discovered in 2007. The scan showed that the brain aneurism had doubled in size within a few short months.

Again, everything seemed to be working against her. No job, no insurance and a growing brain aneurism. This past July, Poli found a doctor at UNMC who gave her hope concerning her growing aneurism. Knowing Poli’s unfortunate situation, he still performed her life-saving surgery and today she is recovering at a wonderful pace. She was able to start a new job this past October and will have health insurance once again. The long stretches of unemployment and the recovery time from the brain surgery, left Poli without the resources or financial means to go to Texas to see her son Ryen’s graduation from the Air Force. Being a veteran herself, Poli knew how important it was to be able to attend this life-changing moment for her son. She was so determined to attend that she began working two jobs and 90+ hour work weeks just three months after brain surgery.

Up until Magic Moments, Poli and her daughter Robin were planning to find a way to make the two day drive to Texas to attend Ryen’s graduation from Lackland Air Force Base. Union Bank surprised Poli and Robin with round-trip airfare to be able to attend Ryen’s graduation, a rental car for their stay, a digital camera, manicures and pedicures and even a special memento for Ryen to thank him for his service. Ryen graduates next week and the family will be together this holiday season for a moment they will never forget!

Day 2: Brody's Story

This past August, four-year-old Brody was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He began a rough road of chemotherapy treatments and has spent the last few months in and out of the hospital due to the treatments and negative reactions. For the next three years of his life, Brody will continue to need weekly chemotherapy treatments at the Children’s Hospital in Omaha, oral chemotherapy treatments at home and regular bone marrow biopsies and spinal tap testing. Just last week, Brody’s family found out they needed to increase the intensity of his chemotherapy, making his treatments even more difficult.

Because of the leukemia, Brody is at high risk for infections and can no longer attend daycare or preschool. He is really only able to leave the house for treatments and can only have limited visitors. This is very hard on Brody, being such a young child, and his family. Because of Brody’s limitations, his mother, Nicole, had to leave her job and move into her parent’s house to provide full-time care for Brody.

Brody has a long and difficult journey ahead. To help brighten their holidays and pass the time on his road to recovery, Brody and his family were surprised with a Magic Moment. Brody received a Wii game console and Mario Kart game, a Sponge Bob game for his DSI, a Batman Voice Command helicopter and superhero toys. His mother, Nicole, received gift cards for a new winter coat and to go out to dinner since she is unable to leave the house much other than to take Brody to his appointments. They also received U-Stop gas cards for the weekly trips to the Children’s Hospital in Omaha and additional gift cards to Walmart, HyVee and CVS pharmacy to help with expenses. Papa Kurt loves to read to Brody so we surprised him with a Nook eReader and gift cards and Nana Vivian also received a new winter coat and scarf.

Brody has good and bad days and although he is going through such a rough time, this sweet boy always has a good attitude and is a fighter. Papa Kurt always says he is as tough as a dinosaur!

Day 3: Mike's Story

Mike Foley gives selflessly to his community and spends most of his spare time volunteering for the Northeast Family Center, a non-profit organization serving families and children in Lincoln. Mike works 6 days a week for a local contractor and still finds time to give back and help others. Throughout the nights and weekends, you will find Mike donating his time and resources to complete handy man work at the center including the installation of new classroom doors, painting, putting up walls, cleaning and more. Mike and his wife, Renee, along with their three children, Emily (17), Kaitlyn (11) and David (8), always make it a priority to volunteer for family events at the center as well. With limited resources, Mike’s help and volunteer work is critical to the Northeast Family Center. Magic Moments wanted to recognize Mike for all he does and the difference he is making in his community.

This past summer, Mike’s car was totaled. He had a difficult time finding an affordable vehicle but soon fell in love with an old Jeep. One of Mike’s greatest loves is music so Magic Moments surprised him with a stereo and speaker system for his Jeep, plus iTunes gift cards. He also received gift cards to Sears for some new gear. Since Mike spends his free time helping others, we wanted to make sure Mike was rewarded with a few nights out with the family. Magic Moments is sending Mike’s family for a weekend away at Great Wolfe Lodge in Kansas City. To help them get there, they received gift cards for gas at U-Stop and dinner out at Famous Dave’s. Mike and his family were also given tickets for a day at the movies and Lost in Fun. A private dinner was also set up for Mike and his wife to enjoy a special night out together.

Day 4: Sarah's Story

The story of the Bryant family is one that many families can relate to. Sarah is a single mother who spends every effort providing and caring for her three children, Alexander (10), Jarod (8) and Nina (7). Sarah and her children moved to Lincoln a few years ago to live with Sarah’s mother and the journey hasn’t been easy. Sarah works tirelessly to provide for her family and in addition to her job at Tabitha, she has returned to school full-time to further her education. Because of her strong work ethic and dedication to her family, Sarah was presented with a Magic Moment to help her through her current hardships.

Sarah received a new winter coat from Scheels and gift cards for groceries, gas at U-Stop, clothes and other necessities. She was also surprised with a day at the spa to reward herself for all her hard work. Alex, Jarod and Nina were each surprised with their own special gifts including Lego sets, art sets, play sets, clothes and several other toys that were on their wish lists. As a family, they received a membership to the Lincoln Children’s Museum, passes to Lost in Fun, board games for game nights and restaurant gift cards and movie tickets for a family night out. Sarah mentioned that she had only been able to save up enough money to buy each child one small gift, which shows you just how much this Magic Moment meant to each of them.

Day 5: Michelle's Story

Michelle has raised her 10-year-old daughter, Sammantha, as a single parent. Although Michelle has always been employed, she has only made enough to barely get by and for the necessities. This past May, Michelle was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease along with fibromyalgia. Because of this diagnosis, Michelle has been unable to work and has been unsuccessful in receiving disability assistance. Being on unpaid leave has left Michelle with tremendous financial troubles. She relies on close friends for help with her rent and utility bills each month just to get by. Sammantha has a gluten allergy, which requires special dietary needs and causes even their basic groceries to be very expensive. Michelle was an excellent candidate for Magic Moments because she always maintains her positive attitude and never feels down on her luck, despite her medical issues and continuous hardships.

Michelle was surprised with a winter coat, scarf, mittens and shoes. She also received household items such as cleaning supplies, a vacuum and a steam cleaner to help make household duties easier in her condition. Sammantha was ecstatic to receive a new bike, beauty accessories, clothes, art supplies, Judy Moody books and One Direction CDs. Sammantha also enjoyed her special gluten-free cupcakes from EZ Eats Bakery and gift cards for more. As a family, Michelle and Sammantha were surprised with a new iPad, movie tickets and gift cards for additional necessities.

Day 6: Landon's Story

Nat and Tiffany Crawford have three beautiful children, Simon (5), Landon (3) and Gracen (5 months). Their story began eight weeks after Landon was born when he was diagnosed with a rare tumor called malenotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy. He underwent many surgeries at the Children’s Hospital in Omaha to remove the tumor from his eye socket/temporal area. The last tumor that was removed eroded a baseball-sized amount of his skull and required them to remove his entire eye socket, portions of his forehead, temporal bones and several muscles attaching the eyelids. Landon then had to go through eight months of chemotherapy, blood transfusions, several more eye surgeries and two skull reconstructions. The Crawford family has stayed strong throughout this very scary and difficult situation and today, Landon is busy being an active and happy three-year-old! He still suffers from trouble with his vision and will need to undergo more reconstructive surgeries, but he has consistently received a clean bill of health.

The Crawfords have not been able to do as much as they would like with their children because of the financial strain. Nat works full-time while completing his Master’s degree and Tiffany had to leave her job to stay at home and take care of the children. They have always kept a positive attitude and make it a priority to give back and help other families in need. Magic Moments surprised Landon, Simon and Gracen each with their own special toys including monster trucks, Star Wars and Incredible Hulk action figures, PS3 games and many more toys that were on their wish lists. Nat and Tiffany received a Kindle Fire and Amazon gift cards. The family is also being sent on a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City and received gift cards for gas at U-Stop to get there. Landon is a huge Husker Basketball fan but has never been to a game. Magic Moments surprised the whole family with tickets to a couple of Men’s Husker Basketball games and annual passes to the Lincoln Children’s Zoo and the Lincoln Children’s Museum.

Day 7: LaTanya's Story

A few weeks ago, LaTanya and her family were struck by tragedy. Her son was making dinner when a cooking got out of control in their apartment, leaving little salvageable. The family was left with less than four totes of clothing and everything else was gone. Every picture, every trinket, their furniture and all of their daily items disappeared in a matter of minutes. To add to the horrible situation, they had just moved into their new apartment and didn’t have renters insurance yet. Many people would have walked away upon learning that their landlord was holding them responsible for the damages, but not LaTanya and her family. They felt blessed to have been able to secure an emergency loan and maintained their positive attitude. To LaTanya and her family, all that mattered was that they were safe and together.

LaTanya always puts others’ needs above her own and has been truly grateful and humble for all of the help they have received. The days and weeks following the fire have been extremely difficult for their family. They didn’t have much money saved up so the initial few nights in a hotel were short lived. There were some days when they had to shower at various friends’ houses and they even had to sleep in their car one evening after their housing plans for the night fell through. As this became known to LaTanya’s coworkers and friends, arrangements were quickly made to prevent this from happening again. Their extended family lives in Indiana so their close friends and network at Loving Hearts Daycare soon became family. The most important thing to LaTanya throughout this journey was to protect her children Jeffery (19), Joshua (17), Rudi (18) and Jada (14) and make the transition as seamless as possible for them.

LaTanya and her family were surprised with gifts cards to Scheels, CVS Pharmacy, Target and Adventure Golf. Since they have lost all of their family photos, they were given a gift certificate for a family photo shoot and prints so they can start new memories. They also received pillows, towels, a new TV and Blu-ray player and an Xbox 360 with games. LaTanya received gift cards for a massage and spa products along with a blanket and toys to give her granddaughter.

Day 8: Brooklyn's Story

Brooklyn Bohac had been dating Trevor Underwood for about two years. They were in love and did everything together. They were young and finding their way in the world as they began their lives together. As they started to settle down and plan out their future, they decided to move in together and got an apartment.

This past August, Trevor was tragically killed in a car accident. At only 20 years old, Brooklyn’s life was turned upside down and her heart was shattered. Immediately after the accident, Brooklyn couldn’t bear the pain of staying in their apartment without him so she moved in with her mother. She had now lost the new home that she and Trevor had started and the love of her life. A couple of weeks after Trevor’s accident, Brooklyn unexpectedly discovered she was pregnant. The pain of losing Trevor was already unbearable. Now carrying and raising his baby that he will never be able to hold is the greatest pain that Brooklyn has ever known.

Wanting to feel like she could get on with her life, Brooklyn recently moved into her own apartment so she would have a place of her own for her and the baby when it arrives in April. She is passionate about photography and stays busy working, going to school, spending time with family and friends and getting ready for the baby. Brooklyn was surprised with a Magic Moment to help her begin the new journey as a parent and alleviate some of the hardships she will face without Trevor by her side. She received a new crib, car seat, stroller, pack n’ play, bouncer, jumper, highchair, blankets, diapers and wipes for the new baby. She also received gift cards for a mommy and baby photo shoot, a day at the spa, groceries and additional necessities. They will also enjoy a memorial handprint of the new baby in honor of Trevor at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, along with a membership for next year.

Day 9: The Misegadis Family

Megan and Mike Misegadis always make it a priority to give back and help others in need. They have twins, Jack and Emma, who are busy 8th graders. Their son Jack has autism, a cause very close to their family. Megan is the President of the Autism Society of Nebraska and volunteers countless hours to help people with autism and their families. The family often volunteers for statewide events and fundraisers to benefit the autism community. At only 13 years old, Emma recently helped plan a fundraiser for a family with a disabled child to help with medical bills.

Last year, Mike was laid off from his job. He was without work for nearly eight months, which caused tremendous financial troubles for their family. Having two young children, one of whom has autism, they fell behind on their mortgage and bills. Their house also desperately needs repairs, which have been on hold due to their financial situation. Not only is their roof completely damaged, curling up and leaking throughout the house, their basement also flooded and is ruined.

Mike has since found a job and they are trying to catch up on all their payments. To help give them a head start and thank them for all of the work they do in the community, the Misegadis family was given a Magic Moment. Stonebrook Roofing made a generous donation of a new roof and gutters, something the Misegadis family had been dreaming of but simply couldn’t afford. The family also received gift cards to Menards so they can choose new carpet and make additional home repairs. Jack loves music and games so he was surprised with iTunes gift cards. Emma was surprised with gift cards to her favorite store, Maurices, so she could pick out some fun clothes and jewelry. Megan and Emma also received gift cards for a day at the spa so they can enjoy mother/daughter manicures and pedicures.

Day 10: The Munsell Family

Last summer, Amber Munsell and her four daughters, Taylor (13), Addee (9), Ellie (8) and McKenna (7) were visiting from Utah to spend time with Amber’s sister, Kari, and her family. While they were here, Amber became very ill and had to go to the emergency room. She ended up being admitted to the hospital because her lungs were not functioning at a normal pace. She was quickly moved to the intensive care unit and put on a ventilator to give her lungs a break. Amber ended up having pneumonia and it progressively got worse before getting better. These 10 days were very difficult for Amber and her family. After being released from the hospital, Amber and her husband separated and she was unable to return to their home in Utah. Since then, Amber and her four daughters have been living with Kari and her family. Amber was recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and is struggling to find a job. Kari and her husband try to help Amber as best they can, but it is difficult with three small children of their own.

Amber and her girls were surprised with a Magic Moment to brighten their holidays. Taylor loves to play basketball and was ecstatic to receive a new basketball along with tennis shoes and clothes. She also received a winter coat, a zebra bedspread and a lava lamp. Addee loves peace signs so she enjoyed her new bedspread, wall decorations, clothes and boots all decked out in peace signs. She also received a Furby, digital camera and other toys. Ellie’s favorite gift was an American Girl doll, along with a password journal, boots, tennis shoes, a bedspread, games and clothes. McKenna received a Furby, DVDs, games for the Wii, a bedspread, clothes and toys. Kari’s three children each received their own special gifts including Lego and Barbie sets.

As a family they received gift cards to Valentino’s, Lost in Fun, CVS Pharmacy, U-Stop and an annual membership to the Lincoln Children’s Museum. Since Kari’s household has almost doubled in size, their dining room table was no longer large enough for everyone to have dinner together and their dishwasher had also broken. They were surprised with a new dining room table that will hold everyone and a new dishwasher. Kari and Amber also received gift certificates for a day at the spa together.