I’m not sure I have words to express what this day has meant to all of us as the kids and families who have had childhood cancer turn our worlds inside out and upside down. Childhood cancer tries to take so much away from us: faith, peace, stability, security, community, joy, and sometimes even our kids themselves.

But today each of you surrounded us with a united hug that reached all the way around the globe! Today we experienced comfort, encouragement, smiles, cleansing tears, laughter and hope. Thank you for being a part of that incredible gift to us! If today has inspired you in some way to want to do something to continue to help, there are endless opportunities out there. Start at home and reach out to a family you might know personally. Volunteer to help out with local or global childhood cancer research projects, hospitals, foundations, or organizations. Donations are always needed too.

In the past week (2/11-2/18), here is what’s happened with our little day (that’s not so little any more)!!! I stand AMAZED!!!! The world heard that‪#‎kidsgetcancertoo‬ and Wow – we celebrated, remembered and partied on with a truck load of amazing kids!!!

Website: 5,000 separate people came and checked it out!

Facebook: on our page alone the total reach was 147,057 separate people with 20,994 people who liked, shared or commented on a post directly from or on our page. Plus 3,841 new likes of folks who will join the movement next year! This doesn’t account for anyone who posted their picture somewhere else (like on their own page or on a news article) without hashtags.

International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day on a sweet mission:  KXAN.com – AUSTIN (KXAN) — You might not know it, but you’re in for a sweet treat today – for various reasons. It’s International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day, all to “support the fighting, remember the resting and party on with the survivors.” It’s meant to spread …

Celebrate Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day to honor kids with cancer:   Fox 59 – FOREST LAKE, MN (February 18, 2015) – “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” isn’t a holiday created by little kids who wanted to eat dessert for breakfast – this holiday actually has a very special story. According to myfoxdetroit.com, a family created this day to …

Eat ice cream for breakfast to support kids fighting cancer:  MyFox Detroit – ‎A family from Forest Lake, Minnesota is overwhelmed by the worldwide support they’re getting for “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” – a day they created to honor their daughter Malia and other kids who have lost their lives to cancer, to support the kids fighting …

It’s national ‘Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast Day’:  Baltimore Sun – The tradition was started by a Minnesota family who lost their daughter to cancer, in 2010. The 9 year old loved to have ice cream for breakfast. Now, people are sharing their ice creambreakfast all over social media with #icecreamforbreakfast. The tradition …

MN Family Helps Fight Childhood Cancer By Eating Ice Cream For Breakfast:  CBS Local – MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It’s something your mother told you never to do: eat ice cream for breakfast. But one Forest Lake family is asking everyone to eat ice creamWednesday morning. It’s all part of a campaign that’s gone international to remember their …

Family’s ‘Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day’ meant to honor pediatric cancer …:  Fox News – ‎ A Minnesota family says they are overwhelmed by the amount of people participating in “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” meant to honor their daughter who died of cancer, and other pediatric patients fighting the disease. Malia Grace was just 9 when she …

How Eating Ice Cream For Breakfast Helps Kids With Cancer:  POPSUGAR – ‎Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast Day — which just so happens to be today (if you stuck with bacon and eggs this morning, mark your calendar for Feb. 18, 2016!) — is a new tradition started by a Michigan family in honor of their daughter who died after a battle …

Eat Ice Cream For Breakfast On February 18 For An Incredibly Worthy Cause:  Bustle – ‎If you’ve ever wanted to reach for the Ben & Jerry’s after waking up, this is the day to do it. A family from Forest Lake, Minnesota, has officially made February 18 National EatIce Cream For Breakfast Day in honor of their 9-year-old daughter, Malia Grace …

Ice cream for breakfast: Children’s cancer campaign started in MN goes global:  Rick Kupchella’s BringMeTheNews – ‎But as a once-a-year indulgence to honor a Minnesota girl who lost her life to cancer, “International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” is a seemingly perfect way to warm hearts across the globe. Annette Peterson, of Forest Lake, started the awareness raising …

Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day honors children who have cancer:  Atlanta Journal Constitution – ‎FOREST LAKE, Minn. — Put away that sausage biscuit and save the eggs for another day: Feb. 18 is Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. The holiday is more than an excuse to indulge your sweet tooth. The Peterson family from Forest Lake, Minnesota, started …

Mom Asks You to Feed Your Kids Ice Cream for Breakfast to Honor Child Who …:  The Stir – ‎One family in Minnesota is embracing the saying, “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first,” in memory of the child they lost to cancer. The Petersons, whose daughter, Malia, died in 2010 after a 14-month battle with kidney cancer, have started Eat Ice Cream for …

Eating Ice Cream For Breakfast Has Its Benefits:  Youth Health Magzine – ‎The event was first celebrated in 2013 with close friends and family through a virtual birthday party for Malia via Facebook, but this year, “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” was opened up to other families of children with cancer, according to the publication …

International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day:  National Monitor – ‎To honor their daughter’s memory, the Paterson family has declared this day to be International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. What started two years ago as family and friends posting photos on a Facebook page, has grown into an international campaign …

KTIS

Malia’s mom Annette tells us about Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day (CLICK TO LISTEN)

Malia Grace is a little girl who will be celebrating her 14th birthday in Heaven tomorrow, February 18th. Malia battled pediatric cancer and passed away in 2010 at the age of 9. One thing she LOVED was having ice cream for breakfast and her family remembers her each year on her birthday by doing just that. Now YOU and your family are invited to do the same thing! Just eat ice cream for breakfast tomorrow in memory of Malia Grace and all those children who are battling cancer, surviving cancer or resting in Heaven with their Savior. Be sure to like Malia Grace’s Facebook page:  (read more)

Fox 9

A Minnesota family from Forest Lake is overwhelmed by the worldwide support they’re getting for “Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” – a day they created to honor their daughter Malia and other kids who have lost their lives to cancer, to support the kids fighting cancer, and to celebrate the survivors.

9-year-old Malia Grace passed away after a long fight with cancer on Dec. 7, 2010. One thing she loved was having ice cream for breakfast so her family remembered her each year on her birthday for doing just that.  (read more)

Ice cream for breakfast: Children’s cancer campaign started in MN goes global

As long-term diets go, it’s not the healthiest.

But as a once-a-year indulgence to honor a Minnesota girl who lost her life to cancer, “International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day” is a seemingly perfect way to warm hearts across the globe.

Annette Peterson, of Forest Lake, started the awareness raising campaign in 2013 in honor of her daughter Malia, who just 9-years-old when she died in December 2010 following a 14-month battle with kidney cancer.  (read more)