In May of 2006, the Carol’s lives changed forever. Their son Taylor was diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia and was given two weeks to live. After soul searching and seeking guidance from experts, the family decided to move Taylor to the Children’s Hospital of Seattle. It was there that Taylor began the fight for his life.

Throughout Taylor’s long battle, he was forced into isolation where he would spend months alone and quickly developed a deep love for video games. They served as an outlet, as they helped him “feel like a kid again,” allowed him to communicate with peers, and distracted him from the harsh realities of his situation.

Beating Leukemia after 5 long years was the most difficult challenge Taylor, Jim and the Carol family could ever imagine, and the experience changed them forever. Jim and Taylor now live their lives grateful for every day.

The Carol family acknowledges that it was both the kindness of strangers and Taylor’s video games that sustained him with joy and hope during his darkest days, and they decided they wanted to pass that hope on to other kids struggling with debilitating illnesses and injury.