On April 14, 2014, our son Austin “Flash” Schroeder was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, which no parent can prepare for. It changed our lives forever. We worried about Austin’s health — on top of worrying about how we were both going to work and be active and supportive with our two other children and their activities, the future financial burden, and how we were going to get through this.
We are fortunate to live in Coralville, so close to such an amazing hospital, University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Austin was happy that he didn’t have to travel somewhere else to be treated. The doctors, nurses, and staff were amazing and so caring. The hospital staff connected us with Dance Marathon, which gave us gift cards for out-of-pocket expenses, and money for parking, pharmacy costs, and later, funeral expenses.
Child-life specialists and people in the community reached out to the Hawkeye athletics coaches and players — and even professional athletes — who then came to visit Austin. They made Austin feel special, and he cherished the friendships he made. Austin never got a break from cancer, viruses, or infections during his fight. But he did get a “break” through the love and support that everyone gave him.
During the 54 weeks of Austin’s fight, we were humbled by an unbelievable outpouring of emotional and philanthropic support from this community, and everyone that Flash touched through “Fight With Flash” and “Win The Day.” People signed up to bring us meals, gave us restaurant gift cards, and gave Flash gift cards to buy clothes, shoes, and electronics. The community put together a golf tournament, which raised $28,000. People and businesses also sold T-shirts, bracelets, and stickers to raise money. Moreover, when Austin passed, more than 1,000 people came to his visitation and funeral and continued to give money to his memorial fund.
Our story didn’t end the way we wanted. Every day, we have pain. Every day, we miss our sweet Austin’s infectious smile and his Win The Day attitude — the ability to find the positive in every situation. However, we are continuously reminded of the impact he has made as people reach out via text, email, and social media, telling us stories of signs they have seen of his presence and how much Flash has affected their lives. Their support helps ease our pain and strengthens us to continue to Win The Day ourselves.
As we approach his one-year anniversary on Thursday, we are bracing ourselves for the sadness, but we will also celebrate his life. April 28 is National Superhero Day, fitting for someone with the name Flash. It is also “Phil’s Day” on campus — also all about philanthropy, giving, and helping others. We have been blessed to witness firsthand the depth of the goodness, compassion, and generosity in our community. This generosity allowed us to create the Fight With Flash Foundation, which honors our precious son by not only raising cancer awareness but also helping us “pay it forward” by donating money to families of pediatric cancer patients, to cancer research, and to support the Adolescent Young Adult Cancer Program at the UIHC.
Craig and Stacy Schroeder
Coralville
