Welcome to Beachview Dreams Foundation...
where the beginning of the boardwalk is the start of Dream Vacations!
Meet some of our Dream Guests from 2015!
Click on any of our fantastic guests to read their story.
Nina
Nina is 30 years old. She lives at home with her parents, and attends BonHomie Adult Day Center during the week. Nina has Lennox-Gastaut syndrome which is an active seizure disorder characterized by many different seizure types and severe to profound multiple physical and intellectual disabilities. She is also in remission from bladder cancer. Nina is non-verbal and non-ambulatory. Almost all of Nina's fabulous doctors and nurses are from Penn.
Nina is happiest when she is spending time with her family, especially her sisters. In addition to her sisters, she loves spending time with her brothers-in-law, two nieces and nephew, and sister's dog, along with her larger extended family. Nina enjoys eating just about any food. (She used to be a picky eater but not anymore!) She eats a lot of oatmeal, peanut butter and jelly, potatoes and jello, although the world of sweets is increasingly interesting to her.
Nina loves music and the wind in her face. She has donated her beautiful hair five times to either Locks of Love or Wigs for Kids.
Joe
Joe is a fun-loving guy who lives at home with the help from outside family members and home health aides. He is quadriplegic due to a spinal cord injury. He recently celebrated his 50th birthday!
Joe welcomes the opportunities to celebrate special occasions with his family and friends whom he loves spending time with.
These past few months have been challenging. He recently lost his mother and sole caregiver to pancreatic cancer on January 16th.
Joe loves to eat all kinds of vegetables and anything fried! You might catch Joe at one of his favorite spots, The Trappe Tavern, as he loves to watch bands on stage and sports on the big screen. His favorite team is the Philadelphia Eagles (and any team playing against the Cowboys)!
Joe supports causes that are true to his heart at any given moment.
Joe's response when invited to be a guest at Beachview Dreams:
"I've only been down the shore for a day. To have the opportunity to be there for a week, WOW. That's all I can say and THANK YOU!"
Matt
Matt has been a firefighter since the age of 15. He ran with and held several officer positions in 5 fire companies including Perkiomen, Trappe, Bloomsburg, Amnity, and Pottstown. Matt's medical conditions, NeuroFibromatosis, CML Lukemia, right side paralysis, and neurogenic bladder, have prevented him from fully returning to his career but he still attends training sessions and various events when able. His fellow firefighters will always be his brothers.
Matt loves spending time with his wife and kids. He enjoys taking their Puggle, Sandy, for walks and playing with their cat, Smokey. Matt especially loves the quality time he spends with his grandson, Kaiden, who likes to ride on his wheelchair with him and share snacks on his recliner. Matt also likes watching TV and movies at home with his wife, the love of his life.
Matt enjoys most foods although pizza, steak sandwiches, and hoagies are among his favorites. His ultimate dinner is a nice steak with a baked potato. He also likes a cold Corona once in a while.
Steven
Steven is a 38 year old who loves to live life to the fullest! He lives with his parents and loves spending time with his sister and her fiancé. Steven has a seizure disorder with myoclonic jerks which impacts his speech and creates physical limitations. He’s in a wheelchair and needs assistance with transferring, but is determined to be as independent as possible. He doesn’t let his limitations stop him from experiencing all that life has to offer! He communicates with sounds, motions, and his own adaptation of sign language.
His sense of humor, laughter, and energy is contagious, and anyone who meets him can’t help but smile - he is quite the charmer! He enjoys bowling, swimming, singing and dancing (in his own way), going for hikes, the movies, concerts, live theatre, Phillies games and other live sports, and festivals. He loves horses and all other animals, a good game of skee-ball and air hockey at the arcade, and loves to eat EVERYTHING! There is no food that is off limits, but his absolute favorites are cheeseburgers and ice cream.
Swimming and going to the beach are one of his favorite things to do, and it’s a special treat he always enjoys with his sister. They take regular trips to the beach every summer, but it has become increasingly harder to find accommodations that are accessible for Steven’s wheelchair and other needs, so their overnight trips have turned into day trips to the beach. Steven and his family are extremely excited to be able to stay at Beachview Dreams, and to be able to enjoy the beach and boardwalk for more than one day!!!
Massimo
Massimo was diagnosed with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) at 7 years old. ALD is a deadly genetic disease that affects 1 in 18,000 boys. The brain disorder destroys the myelin sheath that surrounds the brain. The past 7 yrs have been a long hard road for Massi. He has had spine surgery for scoliosis and recent hip surgery.
Massimo loves spending time with his family. They are grateful to have the Children's Therapy Center in Midland Park, NJ. His therapists, teachers, and staff are wonderful. Massimo enjoys riding horses and listening to music.
Massimo's family thanks God each day that he is a part of their lives and they will continue to provide him with the best possible care and love.
Jacob
Jacob is a happy 5 year old boy who is very curious and loves to play. He was diagnosed with an astrocytoma (optic glioma) brain tumor at the age of 9 1/2 months in December of 2009. He has been on chemotherapy since January 2010 with a total break of 4 months. He receives his chemo every 4 weeks and goes for his MRI every 3 months. His tumor is stable with chemo keeping it at bay. He lives at home with him mom and older brother.
Jacob likes to play with his Legos, go swimming with his mom's help, bouncing at The Bounce House, going to Knoebels (his favorite Amusement park), and playing at the park. He has a sweet tooth and loves to eat vanilla yogurt, powdered donuts, and plain potato chips once in awhile. His favorite foods are Cheerios, Spaghettios with Meatballs, McDonald's Chicken Nuggets, and Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies! His favorite drinks are Capri Sun Roaring Waters (wild cherry) and Tropical Punch Koolaid Jammers.
Jacob is excited to come to Ocean City for the first time to enjoy the beach and boardwalk!
Nate
Nate is 7 and lives at home with his parents and his older sister. He is currently diagnosed with multiple genetic disorders, some of which are Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Wolfram Syndrome. Nate is followed by 12 specialists in 3 states for the following issues: Ptosis, Severe Developmental Delay, Hypotonia, Non-verbal, Feeding Tube, Autistic Behaviors, Dysphagia, and Vision and Hearing issues.
Nate enjoys going to school and spending time with his para-professional and classmates. When at home, Nate likes to play with his sister in his pool (ball pit) where he keeps all of his favorite things. He enjoys water of any kind-bath, pool or beach. His laugh and smile are contagious, especially when playing with Daddy and big sis. Nate may not be able to talk but finds a way to get his point across. He especially enjoys a good snuggle at the end of the day. Nate and family are excited to get to spend their first family vacation at Beachview Dreams!
Beachview Dreams is thrilled to partner with For Pete's Sake, a non-profit organization that assists adult cancer patients, their caregivers and loved ones by giving them a break from cancer in a secure and comfortable environment.
Eligible patients, along with their caregivers, receive a one-week expense-paid respite vacation to select locations.
Beachview Dreams is one of the houses that will host several families from
For Pete's Sake this summer.
For more information, please visit: www.takeabreakfromcancer.org.