Lizzie Boyle is mom to CHOC Children’s patient and cancer warrior Ella, age 6 and serves as team caption for CHOC Walk’s Team Brave Boyle.
There are many ways that grateful families can support CHOC. Why do you participate in CHOC Walk every year?
Walking was the most crucial part in Ella’s recovery. As she braved her 14 rounds of chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, and many scans and procedures under anesthesia, I knew as a mom that it was important to get her moving. CHOC encouraged us as parents to be active participants in Ella’s recovery, and how crucial it was that she must get out of bed and walk the halls of the hematology/oncology unit to survive. The CHOC Walk is a direct reflection of what happens inside that unit at CHOC. Get up, survive, and walk alongside people who you may never know by name. We learned that the power of being together, all for the purpose of knowing someone in their lives was affected by this hospital, is a tremendous feeling.
What inspired you to become part of CHOC Walk? How long have you been participating?
The CHOC Walk was always been something we knew about within our community, however not until my daughter was a patient herself did we walk. Last year, my sister Caitlin and brother-in-law Rhett took it upon themselves to create Team Brave Boyle, and by the grace of God and many other hands we were able to walk that day. Some members of our team have participated for years in support of the care their own children received years ago, but much of our team was experiencing it for the first time. The phrase I heard the most from our team that day was, “We will do this every year. This is amazing.”
What is your favorite memory from a previous CHOC Walk?
Well that is a tough one to answer! I will say it was when we were in a holding pattern waiting to walk down Main Street. The Brave Boyle team was stretched out five people wide and at least 40 feet back. I looked ahead of us and saw a group of our oncology nurses; I looked behind me and saw my sisters; I looked around me and saw Ella’s classmates sprinkled around with their parents. To see the sacrifices that so many of our supporters made to be there that day was humbling, and I felt so sad that Ella wasn’t able to walk with us that day. Then I looked to my right and there was a large group holding a sign for their daughter who is now an angel. I quickly became overwhelmed with emotion. Just then, over the Disneyland speaker, “Shake it Off” by Taylor Swift started playing. The entire group began to sing, and it brought me back to day one of Ella’s treatment when we started the tradition of singing that song for her. It was exactly what we needed at that very moment.
What would you say to a community member to encourage them to participate in their first CHOC Walk?
It is an experience that allows you to celebrate all life, and your support system—the child, the sibling, the grandma…the people who hold us up. The day is beyond a fundraiser, it changes your entire outlook on what a hospital represents.
What inspires you most about the care being delivered at CHOC?
In our 12 months living off and on at CHOC, my daughter walked onto that 5th floor each time to be greeted as if, ‘Welcome Home.’ In the same respect, days later as we were discharged, they celebrated, praised her, and said, ‘Say hi to your sister!’ They knew Ella Grace Boyle, and every 5-year-old should feel that love no matter what they are facing.
Learn more about CHOC Walk in the Park,
