Easter Sunday will be a little brighter for young Mott Hospital cancer patients and families thanks to a promise Ann Arborite Paula Crosby made to herself a decade ago. After her eight-year-old son, John, died of a rare adrenal gland cancer, the family started a foundation in John’s name to help other families of seriously ill kids. Remembering how she had dreaded the holidays when John was sick, Crosby recruits family and friends to deliver meals to “7 Mott”–the seventh floor of the U-M children’s hospital, where kids with cancer stay.
In March, Crosby didn’t have the Easter menu planned yet. But on Valentine’s Day, Crosby’s friend Julie Leonard delivered breakfast from Angelo’s–French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. “I’ll do whatever she needs,” says owner Steve Vangelatos, who comes in early to prepare and package the food when Crosby calls.
“Parents tend not to eat when their kids are sick,” says Crosby sympathetically. “You can get strength in a variety of ways.”
