Chicago family honors daughter who died of cancer by bringing joy to sick children

CHICAGO - To mark a bittersweet milestone, a Chicago family is bringing joy to sick children with long hospital stays.

Five years ago, they lost their toddler to a rare form of cancer. They’ve since turned her life into a legacy.

Monday would mark Maddie Kramer’s ninth birthday.

"The whole theme behind this special day is that the little things make the biggest of differences," said Scott Kramer, Maddie’s dad.

The family is celebrating with a 26 hour "Smile-a-thon." They are asking the public to make a one-time $26 dollar donation to a special cause. Proceeds benefit the Maddie Kramer Foundation, which provides "smile packs" to children in hospitals.

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The backpacks are filled with items the Kramer family used to make Maddie’s hospital room more comfortable, like musical instruments and decorations.

"One of the things that brought normalcy to her life was trying to make her room still feel like a kids room. So my wife would put up streamers and we put toys around and we made the windowsill a bookshelf. It really was a reminder that it's the little things that make the biggest difference," said Scott Kramer.

To date, the Foundation has raised $100,000 and donated "smile packs" to more than 2,000 young patients at over 20 hospitals. Their project is called "Dancing While Cancering."

To make a donation or learn more about the nonprofit, visit www.dancingwhilecancering.org.