EVERYDAY HEROES

by Ann Marie Kennon • annmarie@lhtxdigest.com photo courtesy Megan Beatty

Birthday Parties for Warriors

For most kids, birthdays are a celebration of accomplishments, growth, and anticipation for what’s the come in the next year. It is often one of the highlights of a child’s year, but for those fighting cancer, a birthday may be spent in doctor appointments or hospital treatments.

Enter David Poku and Liberty Hill’s Megan Beatty. When the time came to plan her daughter’s 8th birthday, Megan had been by her daughter’s side through diagnosis, surgery, and treatment for brain cancer, and she wasn’t sure she could also manage the details of Hayley’s party. But, when David and members of the community showed up at their house, bringing the party with them, Megan realized she had found a new mission. She and David have been planning and managing similar, magical themed birthday parties ever since.

HOW IT STARTED

David began planning parties after a social worker at Dell Children’s Hospital asked if he could coordinate logistics—DJ, photographer, or food—for patients on their cancer floor. He says, “I told them just to tell me the date and I’ll figure it out. Seeing the maturity and acceptance of those young people, knowing they go through more pain and inconvenience than most of us will in our whole lifetime, brought me to a place where I can be as mature as they are. The least I can do for children fighting cancer or other illnesses is to help them get out of the fight for a day.”

David and Megan accomplish great feats with help from local and regional organizations that contribute to milestone events in the cancer space. “Dell connected me with Heroes for Children,” David says, “And we aren’t limited to birthdays; we do graduations and end-oftreatment celebrations too.” The pair also frequently collaborate with Kendra Cofer and L4 Cares to provide compassionate support in Liberty Hill and towns around.

THE DIFFERENCE

Megan says she fell in love with the idea of people willing to help families they don’t even know, and when David explained that giving parties likely meant more to him and his friends than the family, she wanted to be part of bringing that same feeling to others. “David is a thrill-seeker,” she laughs. “But what I love about him and our work is that while we work with some wonderful foundations, we are independent, and we have no qualifications beyond knowing a family has a need. When a social worker reaches out to David, I contact the family, then we rally the community to get things done.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Anyone can contribute gifts to a special celebration via David’s Amazon wish lists, which are posted on his Facebook page (ATXFoodTruckFest), or donate money to community funds like Heroes for Children or L4 Cares that can be earmarked for birthdays or other events. They hope to name their project soon and build a website to centralize donations and arrange everything from character cakes to fire engines. David says, “We have seen some amazing things during the pandemic; people want to help and they just need a calling. We are happy to be something they can rally to.”

For both, seeing the kids’ perspective on life has been an inspiration and a joy. David adds, “I have always been an adrenaline junkie and these kids have changed my perspective on life. I want to cherish every single moment, and helping kids cherish theirs is a big part of that now.”