A few weeks ago, the wonderful mayor of St Charles reached out to me to invite me to a city council meeting. He had heard about the Gold Medal Award from Readers’ Favorite, read up on our family story and wanted to recognize us. I can’t express how honored I was - I have said this before, but I will take any opportunity I can to talk about my son and our journey in hopes that we reach people who want to listen - or who may be impacted by our words and story.

Our son Benjamin was meant to only live with us for a few short years. We walk this path because we didn’t have a choice — but I can choose how I survive, how we live and how we remember him. I feel blessed that he was mine, if only for a short time. And I believe we are honoring him in the best way possible. Sometimes you wonder if you’re reaching people or if you are impacting families. Then there are moments like this one from last night that reinforce and reassure — this is meant to be our story.

If you’d like to see the full video presentation - click here.

To learn more about Ben Smiles Memorial Foundation, click here.

To learn more about Ben’s Adventures books, click here.