By SARA PLUMMER World Staff Writer, Tulsa World

Belcher, a senior at Berryhill High School, called the hospital’s foundation and learned that the patients that needed the most help were those most like her – other teens.

“Our teenagers are one of our groups that get forgotten about,” said Sarah Sands, child life specialist at the children’s hospital. “They need that peer interaction.”

For Belcher’s project, Teen Treasures, she and her friends put large cardboard boxes covered in Christmas wrapping in classrooms at her high school, posted requests on social networks and also approached businesses and groups in her community for donations.

“We got a lot of great things. Had people donate money so we went shopping,” she said, which wasn’t hard for her and her friends. “I knew it was something I would have wanted.”

In a week’s time Belcher collected about 200 items worth about $1,000.

Sands said it’s more meaningful for the patients to know another teen did this for them.

“For McKenzie to do this has a huge effect,” she said. “For the teenagers to know that one of them cared enough to do a toy drive for them.”

The gifts, which are always in need, will now be distributed to teens on all the floors of the hospital.

“We hand toys out all year round. The need is not just at Christmas,” Sands said.

A lot of people don’t always consider teenagers when they’re thinking of donated toys to the children’s hospital, Belcher said.

“When they donate gifts they think of gifts for little kids, babies or toddlers,” she said. “Get things for 12-, 13-year-olds to 17-year-olds.”

Belcher said she hopes to continue the project next year, either at Berryhill High School again or wherever she is attending college.

“A lot of people told me I was going to make a difference this year,” she said. “You’re really bringing joy to their lives.”

(Published in Tulsa World, December 2011)

Below is a picture of Spencer and McKenzie (1998) when they were toddlers. Their Mothers Teresa Stockton and Suzanne Belcher have been friends since meeting their Freshman year in College.

(I feel more like a crazy mom, than an inspiring mom trying to keep our 3 kids in line with all their every day activities and all that is involved, but I do appreciate “M” for asking me to put into words our story. Thanks “M” and Susan Cannon!)

Article: When the road to rearing children was interrupted by tragic health issues, these local women rose above pain to fight for the cause.

For expectant parents, nothing – nothing – is more frightening than hearing those dreaded words: something is wrong.  But it does happen, and often the consequences of those discoveries are heartbreaking.  However, for these inspiring local moms, distress did not mean defeat.  In fact, all of these women have put their hard-learned lessons to work for others, raising awareness and money for the causes that area so close to their hearts.  We are humbled by their bravery, touched by their courage and inspired to bring their stories, here, in their own words, to your attention.

Below is our section of the article:

Teresa Stockton recently brought her important philanthropy, Spencer’s Treasures, to Kansas City in memory of her late son.

Spencer was born a healthy baby boy with big brown eyes and a head full of dark hair. His dad named him Morgan Spencer. He was born in Newport Beach, California. Morgan means “by the sea” so it was the perfect name.  Although we loved the name. it seemed formal for such a little guy so we decided to call him by his middle name.

He was our first born and the light of our lives.  He was a very happy adorable boy that melted everyone with his bright personality. But around age 3 1/2 we noticed changes in Spence, his right eye started turning in and his speech become impaired. The symptoms were being treated individually and it wasn’t until after a second failed corrective eye surgery did a Doctor order a CT scan to see if anything neurological was going on.  After a CT scan and a MRI to confirm, our beautiful little boy was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor in his brain stem. We were told it was inoperable because of its location and with little chance of survival.  (I’ll never forget the Doctor drawing out a little sketch of a brain and explaining different types of tumors and the seriousness of each. He pointed to the brain stem saying this is where the fatal tumors are located. Then he drew an X on it and told us that was where Spencer’s tumor was.)

Our battle began that week and we battled it hard!  Spencer was our hero. Not once during his six-weeks of radiation treatments did he complain.  He endured three surgeries, one for a Craniotomy (which was a mini miracle because they were able to remove 50% of the tumor after the radiation helped centralized it into an area they could get to).  The second was for a shunt, to release the pressure and the swelling on the brain, the third Gamma Knife (a centralized form of radiation). We were able to endure all we did because our “Spence Man” was such an inspiration.  During those eight months, he continued to make us laugh and he taught us life.  Although we never told him he was going to die, I knew in my heart that he knew.  (We called the tumor a bump and he knew something was wrong and he knew we needed to try to get rid of the bump that was making him feel bad.)

After eight months of continuous battle, Spencer died two days after his fifth birthday in 2000.

Shortly after Spencer passed away, the thing that kept going through my mind were the little toys we would give to Spencer after each of his countless appointments.  The hospitals only had stickers to hand out so on the way home we would stop at the local fast food restaurant and get a Kids’ Meal so Spencer could have the toy.  (He considered this his reward for being brave.)  As his conditioned progressed and he could barely talk, the one thing he could say was “toy.” He would hold onto it all day-it was comforting to him.

After tossing and turning one night, the whole “Spencer’s Treasures” plan came into my head.  I woke my husband and told him we are going to donate treasure chests to hospitals in areas where Spencer went and we would start having toy drives and fill the chests on an on-going basis for other children going through invasive type procedures.

I contacted Spencer’s preschool and our church and they had toy drives in Spencer’s memory.  In April 2000, we donated the first three chests.

Eleven years later we have donated nearly 60 chests with thousands of toys, donated in Spencer’s memory to hospitals in Southern California and in Kansas City.

Four years ago, we moved here to be closer to family and now I’m hands-on here in KC and volunteers continuing the joy in California.  Treasure your loved ones is the best advice I can give.  I sometimes laugh at parents that get caught up in the “best preschools, best parties, grades” and all the other things parents choose to get caught up in, because everyday is a gift and nothing is guaranteed. I learned that lesson a second time when we lost a twin to our now 2-year-old just two days after her delivery.  (They were born 10 weeks early and my Tabby was in the NICU for almost 6 weeks)

I miss Spencer everyday but we now have 3 children to share his legacy with. They have always helped with Spencer’s Treasures and they share it with others. The five of us recently celebrated Spencer’s 16^th birthday pizza and a homemade cake. It was his favorite and is our annual family birthday tradition to celebrate his short life with us.

Spencer’s Treasures also tries to raise awareness about Pediatric Brain Tumor symptoms and support.  A section about that appears on our blog.

In order to donate more chests in the Kansas City area we need organizations and schools to embrace Spencer’s Treasures by collecting toys throughout the year. Even local businesses can participate.  The best types of toys are small, hand-size toys.  Toys need to be new.

If you would like to help, email us at SpencersTreasures@gmail.com

(The section below was edited out, but I think it’s important for those that are going through challenging times with sick children)

Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen and watching them decline is gut wrenching and almost unbearable. I truly relied on Faith, Family and Friends to get us through.  We had a wonderful support system and although it was hard at first to reach out to them but when I finally did, meals were being prepared for us, friends cared for my 2 year old at the time so I could take Spencer to his appointments. Family and friends would visit regularly with toys in hand and a smile on their face, no matter the condition he was in.  It was like we were all in it together, and I felt powerful knowing we had an army behind us.

By St. Agnes Catholic Church in Roeland Park, Kansas. Community behind Fairway Shops off of Shawnee Mission Parkway.

We are fairly new to Kansas City and do have chests at Children’s Mercy, but we are trying to increase the public awareness for our program so we can donate more chests in the future to more areas of the Hospital!

(Pictured above is Spencer’s little sister Tabatha)

The “Spence Man” was wise beyond his years, but still a little boy…sweet and kind.  He is truly missed everyday and taught us many lessons about Faith, Hope and Love. I really try to keep those three things in mind as part of my life…and who’s to say if we had never gone through the challenging journey with Spencer would we really know the meaning of those three words? Because everyone that was associated with him, (I feel pretty confident in saying) definitely now knows what those words feel like….they are truly heartfelt.

Our Little Man was born on this day and taken to a better place on February 11th, after his fifth birthday…all within the Month of “Love”(how appropriate is that?) A bitter-sweet reminder that will forever live in our Hearts of Hearts!

Happy Birthday Spencer, we love and miss you!

Mommy

On September 11th, Megan a Girl Scout in Orange County organized an event called, “Lessons from Your Brain Doctor” for her Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts. This service project was close to her heart.

The event was for Hydrocephalus patients of Dr. Michael Muhonen and Dr. William Loudon at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The event consisted on game booths, educational activities, shunt vendor booths and refreshments tailored for the kids.  Spencer’s Treasures provided small toys for give-aways and prizes.

There were about 100 people there.  Megan came up with this project because her cousin has severe brain issues and a shunt, from being born 3 months early. I heard the day was a successful event and Megan should be proud of her accomplishment of providing a day of JOY to some special kids and families.

(Note: Spencer had hydrocephalus and had to have a shunt. Dr. Muhonen was his Doctor)

What is Hydrocephalus? Hydrocephalus is a build up of fluid inside the skull, leading to brain swelling. Hydrocephalus means “water on the brain.”

Hydrocephalus is due to a problem with the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. The fluid brings nutrients to the brain, takes away waste from the brain, and acts as a cushion.

Hydrocephalus may start while the baby is growing in the womb. It is commonly present with myelomeningocele , a birth defect involving incomplete closure of the spinal column. Genetic defects and certain infections that occur during pregnancy may also cause hydrocephalus.

Treatment: The blockage may be surgically removed, if possible. If the blockage cannot be removed, a shunt (flexible tube) may be placed within the brain to allow CSF to flow around the blocked area. The shunt tubing travels to another part of the body, such as the abdomen, where the extra CSF can be absorbed.

To Learn More: https://health.google.com/health/ref/Hydrocephalus

Students from Miss Espe’s Class from St. Agnes are excited to show off the toys they collected for  Spencer’s Treasures!! In two weeks they collected over 100+ toys!!  Their efforts will help bring some comfort to a sick child in the hospital!

If  your school or organization would like to help, please contact us at info@spencerstreasures.org or call us at 714-931-5935

The Month of May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month….I know, it sounds terrible…but imagine having one, or being told your 4 Year old had about 8 months to live because of one!!! Trust me, its hell!!

Before Spencer was diagnosed, he had two eye surgeries because we thought he had strabismus (crossed eyes)…..he started seeing a speech therapist, because his speech for some odd reason became impaired.  One day, I noticed how he was standing with one leg turned in…and remembered him running and stumbling a lot!! But, none of these things made me think “brain tumor” why would anyone think of that!?!

Finally, after his eye surgery failed the second time the Ophthalmologist suggested we see a Doctor and ask about a CT scan, (although, we had been going and treating each symptom individually) and LONG-long story short we did and we instantly had a CT scan and then a MRI to find out the horrible truth!

I don’t want to scare any parent with this story, but getting the information out there is important.

Please visit our “Brain Tumor” Facts page to learn more about symptoms and informational links!!

So, Get Informed….Learn the Facts….”It’s a “Yes”-Brainer” in our Books!!

And… Happy Brain Tumor Month….uhh, I guess?

T. (Spencer’s Mom)

Spencer’s Treasures has now been introduced to young student’s at St. Agnes Catholic School in Kansas City.  Sammy, Spencer’s sister, has recently been talking a lot about him. One day she came home from school and told me she cried during P.E. because she missed him.  (although he passed before she was born) My older son, was told by friends that this was true.  Since most do not know about Spencer, because we are fairly new to the area, I decided to let Sammy take in a toy drive flyer and tell her teacher about Spencer.

Her teacher, Miss Espe was touched by the story and has informed the other parents about an end-of-year toy drive.  For years, in California many wonderful schools have had and “continue” to have drives for us, which is a big part of our success.  I had planned to roll it out next year at St. Agnes, but Sammy got the ball rolling, and I’m glad she did. I tend to wait for the “perfect” time, and sometimes that never happens!

I get so busy with life, our 20 month old and the kid’s schedules I find it hard at times to introduce our program, so Sammy has helped me out and maybe her missing Spencer was a little sign from him to be proactive and bring a little “Joy!”

T.

Last, but not least…..Sammy’s Daisy Troop has also collected toys for us and we appreciate all their efforts!! Way to go girls!

April 6th marked our 10 year anniversary of placing our 1st 3 treasure chests in Orange County. Dr. Michael Muhonen of Children’s Hospital of Orange County (Spencer’s neurosurgeon), St. Joseph’s Cancer Center and St. Joseph’s Laboratory were the recipients.

It was a great day getting ready to make our presentation back in 2000.  A reporter, Tom Berg from the Orange County register and a photographer were there to document the beginning of our Toy journey. Spencer’s Aunt Anna and Uncle Ed, my husband Ron and little Jacob were all there sporting our Spencer’s Treasures shirts with the chests and several bags of new toys that were donated from Spencer’s preschool and our church.

The weather was beautiful and we walked to each location which were across the street from each other with our little entourage….Spencer’s little entourage. We were on a mission to kick-off his little legacy and start a tradition to bring “Joy” to other little kids in the hospitals.

It was very bitter-sweet to visit with everyone, since we hadn’t seen them since Spencer was alive, but we made it through tears and all.  Everyone was so touched and appreciative of our donations and the treasure chest which displayed Spencer’s picture with a plaque inscribed “The JOY of a Simple TOY!”

Over 55 chests have now been donated with over 95,000 of toys (the last time I counted, and that was years ago). Some chests are maintained on an on-going basis and receive toys from us monthly and some Hospitals receive enough toy donations and fill and maintain their own but proudly use and display our chests.

In some facilities, previous patients have started collecting and donate routinely on their own which is a wonderful and helpful to our organization.  We ultimately wanted to maintain each chest and provide toys, but its been great to see a domino effect and how others have taken it on. (We thank those that have!)

It has been a pleasure and a great outlet for Spencer’s memory and we will push through and look forward to our next 10 years! We appreciate all the love and support we have received throughout the years!

God Bless!

Teresa Stockton, Founder

To Read the original news article from the OC Register click on link: http://home.swbell.net/mjstock/Spencer/spencer2.html

To help or donate email: info@spencerstreaures.org or call 714-931-5935