Mandeville, LA – [excerpted from the Barbacoa Brotherhood’s Facebook Page, please follow us!] Today I was blessed to visit with 13 yr. old Nadine Hebert of Galliano Louisiana, at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. Nadine has been diagnosed with Juvenile Pilocytic Astocytoma, a rare type of brain tumor. The purpose of my visit was to present a CA$H grant to Nadine & her grandmother Mrs Patricia Canupp on behalf of The Barbacoa Brotherhood and Hogs For The Cause. I was joined by Hoggy pals Becker Hall and Rene Louapre.
Nadine was adorable and sweet and so courageous in her battle against this cancer. Laughter and genuine charity were the order of the day. Nadine confided that she would love to visit the Brotherhood booth at next year’s Hogs if I would make her pork chops with a Kit-Kat Bar™ for dessert. I of course accepted.
It is always inspirational and humiliating to attend these grant presentations and see the courage and joy of these kids fighting these abominable diseases, most of us have so much and yet are so ungrateful and dissatisfied. Nadine was happy to have treatment and the loving company of her grandmother and auntie, I pray I complimented the ensemble!
As I left the room, I kissed and hugged grandma Patricia and Nadine. Walking through the doorway I paused, turned and looked at Nadine, put my hands together at chest level in prayer position, looked her in the eyes and pointed to my self and then back to her. “I will pray for you, every day, you can count on it,” I mumbled, choking a tear. “Thank you!” Nadine exclaimed with a smile.
Anyone who wants to know WHY the Barbacoa Brotherhood and 90 other teams like it exist, enduring floods, towed cars, angered families and strained bodies every January-April, on behalf of Hogs, need only go meet one Nadine Hebert.
God Bless you all who donated to The Brotherhood in our 2017 Hogs fundraising for making our participation in today possible.