MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Chase Beech’s birthday is coming up, but this year it’s not him who will be receiving the presents.
The 13-year-old, dubbed “Super Chase,” wants to donate toys to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in honor of his best friend, Jalen Boyce, who died earlier this year.
Chase and Jalen were friends for about 10 years, spending time together both in and out of the hospital. Chase has dealt with numerous medical issues since birth, making him a familiar face at Le Bonheur throughout the years. Jalen was also a familiar face until his death in April due to complications from a multi-organ transplant surgery.
Chase and Jalen’s friendship was “a bond that can never be broken,” says a Facebook page for the toy drive. “That’s why Super Chase chose for his very first Super Mission – to honor his friend, Jalen.”
Before a surgery, children at Le Bonheur receive a toy to calm their nerves. Chase noticed that as he got older, there were less toys that were geared to his age, even though medical procedures are still scary no matter how old kids are or how many times they’ve had a surgery.
With this toy drive, Chase wants to highlight the realities of Le Bonheur patients — not all of them are “little kids.” Many are in the 10-and-older group, which isn’t as drawn to the toys the younger crowd enjoys but still seeks something comforting before a scary procedure.
“Dolls and fireman hats just were not cutting it,” explains a page set up for the drive.
Super Chase to the rescue.
Chase hopes to provide fun things for these older kids, so they too can have something to take their minds off of the presurgery anxiety. An Amazon page for the toy drive offers examples of what these kids may like; some ideas include craft kits, small games such as decks of cards or puzzle books, fun slippers, manicure kits and iTunes gift cards.
Toys ordered from the Amazon page will ship directly to the family, who will then bring them to the hospital.
Chase and his family will be collecting toy donations until his birthday, Nov. 13, when they will then celebrate his birthday with the gift of giving, a way to still have Jalen there with him on his first birthday apart from his best friend.
“We wanted a way to honor Jalen, and he is the inspiration behind this toy drive,” the event page says.
Through this drive, Super Chase can help share Jalen’s memory to bring some comfort to kids going through similar experiences and let them know they’re not alone.
For more about Chase and his toy drive, see his Facebook page, event page and gift page.