Go on. Dream on.
DREAM CAPS STORY
Our Mission
The primary goal is to provide DREAM CAPS to children battling cancer and actively undergoing chemotherapy treatment. At the same time, our wish is for anyone and everyone wearing our DREAM CAPS to continue dreaming big, and most importantly, never losing hope and always having faith.
Our Founders
Chris is 11 years old and younger brother to Aneli. Chris was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in November 2018. During April – July 2019 and what was the most intense phase of his treatment protocol, Chris lost his hair, but he never lost hope. He wore a cap on most days, but he also felt comfortable around his family without one. His hair came back stronger, and so has he. Chris was originally scheduled to complete chemotherapy treatment at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in January 2022 but based on favorable results of clinical trials that we are so thankful for and a new treatment protocol that was established, by the grace of God he completed treatment an entire year earlier than anticipated and rang his bell loudly and proudly on February 3, 2021.
Aneli is 13 years old and older sister to Chris. It is said that when one person has cancer, the whole family has it because of its effect on them. Aneli has stood by Chris every step of the way. When thinking of how to give back to our community, Aneli thought of this brilliant idea to create caps for children who are fighting the same courageous battle. With this, DREAM CAPS was born, and the beautiful relationship between siblings will only grow stronger while supporting each other and others around them.
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About DREAM CAPS
DREAM CAPS were offered for sale after our first personal charitable donation we made as a family to pediatric cancer patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on September 9, 2020 which coincided with a day of treatment for Chris. For sale orders graciously taken thereafter from customers, we donate DREAM CAPS to new patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital as well as other hospitals in Florida, the US and the rest of the world.
DREAM CAPS is built on the principle that you should not only wear your hat, you should live it. Hats should also be cool, affordable, and socially conscious. Our promise is to ensure that for every DREAM CAP purchased, another DREAM CAP is donated to a child battling cancer. Each year, there are approximately 17,000 children diagnosed with cancer in the US and 300,000 globally. We started with one hospital in Miami where our very own Christopher is treated, but because here we dream big and have high hopes, we want to extend our reach to the entire planet. All we want is for all these children to be filled with hope when they put a DREAM CAP on and continue to dream big.
Our Plan
In the short-term, our plan aligns with the first part of our mission which is to provide DREAM CAPS to all children of the world that are battling cancer. All of them. We hope to achieve that within 10 years, and continue each year upon new diagnoses. In the long-term, our plan includes making charitable donations to organizations around the world that aide in clinical research, cancer prevention, and developing treatments for all cancers, not solely pediatric cancer. Again, since we dream big here, our long-term plan also includes supporting medical missions aimed at training medical professionals who treat cancer in developing countries.
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Our Reason
When Chris lost his hair, it was something we had spoken briefly about to him early on in our journey but never once made it a big deal because to us, it wasn’t. Hair is just hair, it doesn’t define you and neither does cancer. It signified that the chemotherapy treatment was effective and for that we rejoiced. Outside of our home, Chris felt more comfortable with a hat mainly to avoid questions or being probed. We wanted something different than what the market was offering while supporting the cause to fight against cancer. We already felt isolated and part of a club that no one ever wants to be in. Chris wanted to wear a hat that anyone and everyone would wear. This is why we created DREAM CAPS because all of us have the freedom to dream. Cancer is a chapter in our lives, not the whole story.
