Here's the printed story for those of you who can't get the video -
By KOMO Staff
LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- Doctors gave 11-year-old Brenden Foster two weeks to live.
Those two weeks were up on Wednesday. On Friday, he shared his last wish.
Not yet a teenager, Brenden's time to die has come.
"I should be gone in a week or so," he said.
Brenden was the kid who ran the fastest, climbed the highest and dreamed of becoming a marine photographer. Leukemia took away all those things, but not his dying wish to help others.
"He's always thought about others. Never complained about having to go through this, ever," said his mother, Wendy Foster.
When Brenden was first diagnosed with leukemia, he and his mom began a new tradition. Every night they list three positive things that happened during the day, and they have to share a laugh. A chuckle will do, Brenden said, but a fake laugh will never do.
In the last days of his life, it was a homeless camp, namely Nickelsville, that captured the boy's heart.
"I was coming back from one of my clinic appoints and I saw this big thing of homeless people, and then I thought I should just get them something," he said.
Brenden is too ill to leave his bed and feed the homeless. He walked into an emergency room last December and hasn't walked since.
But Brenden's wish will not go unfulfilled. A group planned to gather in his honor on Friday night to make sandwiches and deliver them to the homeless.
"We're making 200 sandwiches -- half ham and cheese, and half peanut butter and jelly. He didn't want them all to be peanut butter and jelly in case somebody was allergic to peanut butter," said Jennifer Morrison, one of the participants.
"They're probably starving, so give them a chance," said Brenden.
Brenden, surrounded by love and wise beyond his years, urges others to follow their dreams.
"Mine already came true," he said.
Brenden has relapsed for the last time. There is no chemo, no more transfusions; just comfort medications.
"It's devastating, but I find great peace in knowing we've had our time together and that we will see each other again," said Wendy.
Brenden has one more wish for the afterlife: become an angel who accomplishes even more in heaven than he did on Earth.
"I had a great time and until my time has come, I'm gonna keep having a good time," he said.
Don't cry for Brenden. He doesn't want leukemia to claim any more tears.
Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :
WOW, what a courageous boy!!! i didn't watch video; read story instead! what a giving heart this young man has .. and wonderful he was thinking of homeless and what HE COULD DO!! priceless!
RIP BRENDEN !! Posted by AP (Member # 8430) on :
Here's an update from today's news:
By KOMO Staff
BOTHELL, Wash. -- An 11-year-old boy's dying wish to feed the homeless has taken on a life of its own, sparking a movement to help the hungry nationwide.
Doctors gave Brenden Foster two weeks to live. His time was up last Wednesday.
"I should be gone in a week or so," he said last Friday.
On Monday, groggy and medicated, Brenden was having a rough day.
"Tired," he said, visibly weak.
"(You) need some more medicine," said his mother, Wendy Foster, stroking his head.
Leukemia halted the young life of Brenden, who once dreamed of becoming a marine photographer. Brenden has relapsed for the last time. There is no chemo, no more transfusions; just comfort medications.
"I'm hoping I'm not away when he decides to pass because I want to make sure I'm holding him," Wendy later said.
Brenden survived his leukemia long enough to witness his dying wish come true. Last Friday Brenden shared his last wish to feed the homeless.
"I was coming back from one of my clinic appoints and I saw this big thing of homeless people, and then I thought I should just get them something," he said.
Volunteers handed out 200 homemade sandwiches to the homeless to fulfill his wish.
"They're probably starving, so give them a chance," he said.
On Monday, Brenden could barely keep his eyes open as he watched a video of volunteers feeding Seattle's homeless on his behalf.
Over the weekend, his wish went national on CNN. And KOMO News received phone calls from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Clearly in pain, Brenden still managed to smile as he listened to stories about the phone calls and e-mails his story had inspired. His story touched many people from all walks of life, from families fighting cancer to men in the military.
"I think it's great, all over the country..." Brenden said.
"He made my dream come true. I wanted to change the world and my son did that," said Wendy.
Brenden has one more wish for the afterlife: become an angel who accomplishes even more in heaven than he did on Earth.
"I don't need to worry until the time has come. I don't need to think about it now," he said.
How to help
In Brenden's honor, KOMO News be holding a food drive for Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline. Go to the Problem Solvers donation page and select "Brenden Foster Food Drive" from the donation options list.
The family is struggling to cover the costs of Brenden's funeral. Donations to the "Brenden Foster Cancer Fund" can be made at any Washington Mutual bank branch.
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