Albert & Sabrina Garza’s youngest daughter, Lydia was first diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma on July 7, 2000 when she was 16 months old. Lydia went through approximately 48 weeks of chemotherapy and 5 weeks of radiation therapy, through it all God watched over and healed her. Lydia remained in remission for nearly 6 years. On September 8, 2006 she was diagnosed with High Grade Myelodysplasia, once again Lydia fought cancer with all her might. Despite multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, God called her home and she earned her heavenly healing and angel wings on March 6, 2007, 3 days before her 8th birthday.
March 9, 2008, Sabrina began celebrating Lydia’s birthday at Medical City Dallas by donating her birthday presents to 3 very special groups who took amazing care of Lydia; the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology doctor’s office, Child Life Center and the Stem Cell Transplant Patient Care Center. In addition to these ongoing “birthday” donations Lydia’s mom trained for and participated in a half marathon in 2009 and a full in 2012 raising money for cancer research via Teams in Training. Recently, Lydia’s dad took part in his first half marathon in the Spring of 2017 raising money for the Lydia Garza Foundation.
The Garza’s truly believe that Lydia’s life journey is meant to be shared and to help others and that is how the Lydia Garza Foundation was founded. Our mission is to be able to help families during their loved ones cancer journey by providing financial support as well as being able to provide an extracurricular activity sponsorship for the sibling(s) of the patient. Although the foundation has been a in the works for a few years, the Garza’s feel that their time has come to fully share Lydia’s life journey and is making it their goal to help as many families as possible.
“For I know the plans I have for you Jeremiah 29:11
Our Mission
The mission of the Lydia Garza Foundation is to ease the burden of families whose child has been diagnosed with cancer. We accomplish this by offering financial support to the parents and by sponsoring a social or athletic activity for the young patient’s sibling(s).
We understand, from experience, the almost unbearable strain and anxiety that families face when a child is in the grip of cancer. Our hope is to honor the life of our own child Lydia, by helping other families navigate the difficult path that lies before them. While we know that we cannot resolve the medical issues they face, we do know that by helping them with their financial challenges and by giving siblings a few moments of simple fun, we are doing our part to help families gain some sense of normalcy during a very difficult time.
Vision:
We envision that the families we help will find greater strength as they face their new reality; that siblings will experience an uncomplicated, youthful activity that reduces their stress; and that the child who is struggling with cancer can bask in an atmosphere of a peaceful family life, giving her/him the security and confidence to trust that all will be well.
Our Values
Compassion – Because of our own experience with our daughter Lydia, we can offer genuine empathy and encouragement to families whose child is living with cancer. We want them to understand that they are not alone; that they have our support; and that we will help them through this difficult time of their life.
Support – The support that we provide is practical and helpful. Our primary purpose is to ease the stress that families feel when their child has cancer by taking care of some of the financial burdens that often escalate with a serious illness.
Accessibility – We are a simple phone call away and are always willing to answer their questions, offer insight to their experience, and provide comfort when they are most distraught.
Confidentiality – We believe that trust is an important factor in our ability to help. They know that we operate with the highest level of integrity and professionalism, and that any information we may have about their circumstances will be held in strict confidence.
Family Harmony– We believe that family harmony and peace-of-mind are important for the overall well-being of both the young patient and her/his family. Our hope is that we will foster tranquility so that healing and, if necessary, acceptance can have room to grow.