aboutus.aspx

About Us

Break the Grey exists to share the love of Jesus Christ by providing encouragement and support to pediatric cancer patients and their families. At this point in time, Break the Grey is known for its parties, which take place during the late winter to early spring months (January-March) and are intended to "break the grey" of hospital life by throwing a party for the families and giving "bundles" of toys to the patients, gift baskets to the parents, and games/toys to the siblings. As Break the Grey has grown and expanded, it has slowly begun to undertake other projects besides hosting parties. Any ideas are appreciated! To submit an idea, please click on the "Contact Us" tab.

Break the Grey is student-initiated and student-led. Break the Grey currently hosts parties for the families fighting pediatric cancer at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, KY and Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. Break the Grey also currently ministers to individual families in Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, and Ohio. To find out how to start a Break the Grey party in your area or to find other ways to volunteer, click on the Get Involved tab.

History

Break the Grey initially began as the dream of one student named Sarah Boesing. Sarah was born with a terminal kidney disease, and spent a lot of time at the children's hospital in her hometown. While there, she had a chance to meet and interact with many children and families facing childhood cancer. After her kidney transplant in August 2001, she felt God calling her back to the hospital where she grew up, specifically to the cancer patients there. Two years of tossing around ideas and seeking God led her to begin Break the Grey.

Break the Grey first took place on the pediatric kidney/cancer unit of Kosair Children's Hospital (7 West) in Louisville, KY on January 27, 2006. Each child received a "bundle" of age-appropriate toys, candy, and a stuffed animal, all wrapped in white tissue paper and secured with a colorful ribbon; each parent received a gift basket with a coffee mug, coffee or tea, lotion, an inspiring/encouraging devotional book, and candy; each sibling received a board game or other age-appropriate toy with which to play with their brother or sister.

Break the Grey has received local and national recognition, with articles in the New Albany Tribune (read it here) and The Courier-Journal, as well as a spot on WHAS 11 News on January 27, 2006. The Association of Christian Schools International also recognized Break the Grey as an Exemplary School Program for the 2006-2007 school year.

In November 2006, nine months after the first Break the Grey party at Kosair Children's Hospital, Sarah was diagnosed with a variant form of common variable immunodeficiency and began treatment immediately at KCH. In February 2007 she switched to weekly subcutaneous IgG infusions and had her sights set on finishing her treatment protocol in May 2008. Unfortunately, in January 2008 she was told that her immune deficiency is incurable, and likely irreversible. Therefore, at least another year was added to her treatment time. By God's grace, she was able to come off treatment, and received her last infusion on Sunday, April 26, 2009. Since the chances of relapse are about 99.9%, she continues to be monitored closely with monthly blood checks.

This journey further spurred Sarah on to pursue her work with Break the Grey. Since the first party in January 2006, God has blessed Break the Grey with opportunities to minister to individual families outside of the hospital setting, expanding it from an annual party to a year-round ministry reaching approximately 100 families in four states.

Sarah (photo by Jose Torres)