Helping the Croxen Family from Charlie's Village

The Croxen family has been one of the most inspirational families I’ve ever come to know. Tracy has been one of my closest friends ever since we met online a few years ago. We both had our daughters fighting cancer at the same time and leaned heavily on each other during our journeys. When Jocelyn was diagnosed in 2019 with T-Cell Leukemia, Tracy was no stranger to the cancer world because she had just fought cancer herself. Just two years prior in 2017, Tracy was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. Imagine the fighting spirit this family had to have to get through two back-to-back cancer diagnoses. Thankfully, both Tracy and Jocelyn have completed their grueling, difficult treatments and are both in remission. It’s common for cancer survivors to try and put their journeys behind them so that they can return to a “normal” life as much as possible. That isn’t the case for this family.

You see, when Jocelyn was diagnosed with cancer, Tracy and Brian became aware of pediatric cancers and the dire need for advocates to fight for a higher annual research budget, more direct support for families, and the importance of finding solidarity with what these families go through. The Croxen family has made it very clear that they will never let anyone fight alone. They have continuously advocated online for the cancer communities, spread awareness about Ovarian and Pediatric cancers, raised money for children fighting cancer to go on their dream trips, brought meals and gifts to the Children’s Hospitals, provided comfort and friendship amongst the parents in the community, provide free photoshoots for families whose child are fighting a life-threatening diagnosis… They’ve done so much that the list can go on and on. Not only all of that, but they are truly some of the most caring, kind-hearted, loyal, and loving people you could ever meet who have only ever spread love and kindness to whoever crosses their path. They’ve always made sure that our family was and is taken care of in any way that they can. And I feel it’s time to return that favor back to them.

Tracy has truly been my rock since the day we started messaging back and forth. We’ve gone on some family vacations down in Southern California just to be with them. When Charlie first relapsed and things were looking very grim for us, we always spent the week before a big scan or surgery with them because of how good it was for our souls to be with this family and feel their love and support. They’ve truly held our hands throughout all of the ups and downs that our lives have had these last few years. Tracy is one of the few people that call me almost daily to check in on not only Charlie, but the whole family. I can’t even put into words how much she means to me. And Charlie’s friendship with Jocelyn has been an incredible one to witness, too. They’ve both been through so much and they truly understand each other and that’s a very special gift in itself. To know this family is to love them, and we are so blessed that our paths have crossed and that they’re now a part of our family.

For as long as I’ve found Tracy’s page about Jocelyn’s fight, I’ve never seen their family ask for any help for themselves. They’ve always fundraised for others and helped serve other families however they possibly could. Even with my track record of fundraisers and helping childhood cancer families, they’ve never once asked anything from me– even though I know they truly need it. I know firsthand the financial devastation that a cancer diagnosis brings with it, so I can only imagine how hard it has been for them with TWO, back to back. I know that they have been struggling to catch up from all that cancer has taken from them. They need a village to help pick them up and put them back on their feet, and I hope with all my heart that we can be that village for them.

Me and Charlie are hoping to drive down to Southern California this December and surprise their family with however much we raise for them and plan to capture it on video for all of our village to see just how big of an impact you all can make, even by doing something small. We hope to rally up as much of our internet family as possible to donate $5 and help us raise this family as much as possible! We want this to be a fresh start for them and for them to know how seen and appreciated they truly are for all that they do for others. So let’s do this, Charlie’s Village! Let’s help this amazing family.

Charlie is so excited to help her best friend.