Schoen Family BCE

Michael Vivian / 2024 BCE Families Campaign

  1. Hi All,

  2. This September I met Don Liimatainen while volunteering. Don founded an organization called Best Christmas Ever in 2010 focused on bringing Christmas miracles to those who need it most. Best Christmas Ever is a Minnesota based organization that serves families who have fallen upon tough times, through no fault of their own.

    Best Christmas Ever works by recruiting captains who are then paired up with deserving families nominated in secret in local community. Here is a quick three minute video showing how the charity works and more behind the mission: Best Christmas Ever Founding Story


Don asked me if I was willing to become a Captain, to which I felt an obligation to get involved. As a Captain, I will have a large responsibility to raise a minimum of $5,000, coordinate gifts, and pull off a Christmas surprise. I'd like to take a moment to tell you all about the Schoen family, who I have been paired up with: 


Lauren and Kent Schoen have two children - Isabelle (age 12) and Griffin (age 10). The family has faced years of complex medical challenges, including: Chronic Lyme disease, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome ('CRPS'). Lauren lives most days in extreme pain due to Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, which is a connective tissue disorder. As a result of this diagnoses, she has since developed CRPS, nervous system damage that causes extreme and uncontrollable pain.

Unfortunately, Griffin inherited EDS through genetics. More recently, he has also been diagnosed with CRPS after fracturing his patella. Everything I've read about CRPS is incredibly eye opening. It has been best explained to me as living in a constant 10/10 pain almost all hours of the day, and triggered by the smallest things, such as brushing a knee cap.

Griffin's pain is constant and debilitating, keeping him from school and his friends. On top of this, he has extremely low white blood cell counts, which have raised fears of additional rare diseases, adding to the family’s emotional and medical burden. With Griffin unable to live a normal life, the family plans to have him undergo specialized care at Johns Hopkins Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, to which he was just accepted. 

Griffin will enter into an inpatient rehabilitation program where he will receive chronic pain management treatment and counseling for multiple weeks in mid-December.  Delays caused by the recent hurricanes have extended their wait for treatment. The family is carrying an overwhelming emotional and financial load, including medical bills, travel costs, and everyday expenses. They are determined to give Griffin the best care possible, but the journey is incredibly challenging.


How You Can Help:

Donate — Your contributions will help provide gifts for each family member to make their Christmas extra special and assist with medical and therapy costs. Due to Griffin's upcoming treatment stay at John Hopkins funds must be raised by December 10th. 

If you are understandably unable to financially support the family, support cards and prayers would go a long way as well. If you are interested in joining the gift drop, I would love to have you! Please reach me at 920-619-7179.


Important: This is a surprise! Please do not contact the family ahead of time.

Let’s surround the Schoen's with love and joy this holiday season and remind them they are not alone. Together, we can make this a Christmas they’ll never forget.


  • $8,772

    Raised

  • $10,000

    Goal

  • 43

    Supporters

  • 16

    Days Remaining

Recent Transactions

About Schoen Family BCE

BCE surprises families during the holiday season who have fallen on tough times through no fault of their own. Our team is looking forward to surprising a local family with a Best Christmas Ever this holiday season! We aim to raise at least $5,000 and collect ten donated gifts per family member! The families that receive the Best Christmas Ever are chosen from nominations submitted to BCE. Nominations are open from September 1st to November 1st and can be submitted at www.BCEmovement.org. Our team will have the opportunity to select a family in November. Monetary donations will go towards the family's life-changing gift. This gift can help reduce the burden a family carries during difficult times. The financial gift may be used to purchase a new/used vehicle, pay medical bills, go towards their rent/mortgage, pay credit cards, pay utility bills, travel, etc. BCE does not pay phone bills, cable bills, court-related incidents, or construction projects. Additionally, BCE does not pay cash directly to families. We cannot complete this without the support of our community. Thanks in advance for your help! NOTE: If you are interested in joining the gift drop, I would love to have you! The more support we can show this family, the better it is. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me! BEST CHRISTMAS EVER IS A 501(c)(3) NONPROFIT. TAX ID: 46-4729005. **Disclaimer: 87% of all funds raised go directly to support your BCE Family. Funds may also be used to purchase any gifts that were not donated.