My SAM Story | Smile-A-Mile

Bradley

Hindsight is twenty-twenty. If someone had shown me a picture of my life now to...

Caroline

During my freshman year at the University of Alabama, my 14-year-old brother, David, was diagnosed...

Jarvis

Two of my great friends (Katie Green and Jennifer Frudaker) have volunteered for Smile-A-Mile a...

Bruce

Remarkable stories told by so many of my favorite people on the planet! As we...

Will

I was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer when I was four years old and was in...

Rachel

I have been hearing about Smile-A-Mile since I was a little girl. My mom is...

Chloe

Smile-A-Mile benefits people in many ways. When my little brother was first diagnosed with Leukemia,...

Corey

I was diagnosed with PNET Ewing Sarcoma in August 2012. After receiving 35 weeks of...

Kayleigh

My favorite Smile-A-Mile memory is from the week of youth camp. I made so many...

April

In April 2011, my son, Micah, was diagnosed with T-cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at age 11....

Jason

In the summer of 2019, I was very grateful for the opportunity to serve as...

Justice

I was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four, I’ve been cancer free for...

Rachel

When Abigail was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on December 20, 2016, our world was...

Fuller

My name is Fuller and I am a 4-time cancer survivor. I have been through...

Echo

Smile-A-Mile is absolutely the best! When my daughter Reginae was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2015,...

Hannah

My Smile-A-Mile story started three years ago when I got to go to sibling camp...

Mason

I first met Smile-A-Mile when my little brother got leukemia. I graduated from kindergarten and...

Lauren

Leaving Smile-A-Mile’s camp sessions gets harder and harder every year, because it is my second...

Kyara

Smile-A-Mile is a wonderful place. The name says it ALL. I love going to camp...

Hutch

My name is Hutch. I am a 2 Time Cancer Survivor. I started my battle...

Bevelle

I have been involved with Smile A Mile as a board member for the past...

Tinley

Being part of Smile-A-Mile has truly changed my life over the years. Starting as a...

Alisha

Bre’s favorite Smile-A-Mile memory is participating in Day Camp this year. She enjoyed spending the...

Houda

"Everything happens for a reason." I never really understood the true meaning of that saying...

Kathryn

Our daughter Kathryn was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in June 2016 at age 7....

Peyton

I always knew getting involved with Smile-A-Mile would leave an impact on my life. I...

Jane

Our Smile-A-Mile story began in the spring of 1996. Our son, Matt, was four years...

Courtney

My first camp session was in 2002. I had been diagnosed just under a year...

Deborah

After a career in education I joined the Hoover-Metro Kiwanis Club out of a desire...

James

To me, Smile-A-Mile is a place where I feel connected to these amazing people without...

The Tyler Family

When six-year-old Elijah was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, life changed drastically for the Tyler...

Dante

Smile-A-Mile is important to me because I get to hangout with friends that I've met....

Ashlyn

I had no idea what Smile-A-Mile was until God placed it in my life at...

Rhett

I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) when I was 7 years old. My...

Katie

As a Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Child Life major at...

Naomi

When I was 11 years old I was diagnosed with Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. That...

Zachary

I had always wanted to go to a summer camp and while at a regular...

Pooja

When I was going through treatment at Children's of Alabama in Birmingham, I learned about...

Alison

I started volunteering with Smile-A-Mile at camp in high school and will always be so...

Haley

Madison visited my therapeutic play class at Auburn University in the Spring. She talked about Smile-A-Mile,...

Kelly

I first got involved with Smile-A-Mile when I was in college as a volunteer counselor...

Kim

Smile-A-Mile is love. It's family. It's smiles. It's a sense of "normal" in a life...

Kristin

I found out about Smile-A-Mile through the Hospital Outreach Program, and the inpatient kids that...

Sam

I was diagnosed with Pre-b Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in March of 2017. I was in...

Mike

My experience with the Ride of Love started well before I participated the first time...

Savannah

Last summer, I began my Smile-A-Mile story at teen camp as a first-time counselor. I...

Blake

Four years ago, I crossed paths with a Smile-A-Mile board member and decided I needed...

Kelli

I have been a counselor at Smile-A-Mile's youth camp for the past two years. And...

Katie

I was introduced to Smile-A-Mile six years ago when a friend invited me to visit...

Daniel

I walked into On Therapy Family camp feeling separated from everyone, and walked out feeling...

Noelle

I was first introduced to Smile-A-Mile when I was in high school by my friend...

Richard

My Smile-A-Mile story is really my family's story. Getting involved with the early forms of...

Taylor

When I was 15, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. People at the hospital...

Conner

In the winter of 2009 I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and that following summer...

Lauren

Four years ago I was looking to join an organization that worked with children since...

Claire

Smile-A-Mile has influenced my life in a way that I never thought possible. I came...

Anne

My Smile-A-Mile volunteer experience began 2002. It was back in the days when volunteers worked...

John & Sam

This project has been so much fun honestly. It has been an unexpected challenge but...

Ben

I have gone to SAM for the past 2 summers. It is always a highlight...

Sarah Anne

Smile-A-Mile has changed my life forever. I have been going to camp for 16 years...

Fred

Having been involved with Smile-A-Mile as a Board Member these past 4 years, I have...

The Wages Family

We cannot express how much Smile-A-Mile has meant to our family!! Gabriella was diagnosed July...

The Nations Family

Smile-A-Mile means so very much to our family! Looking back on our journey through cancer...

Tiler

The mission of being a Smile-A-Mile counselor is to give kids the best time of...

Hannah

This weekend, the junior and senior campers took on Boston together. The trip was amazing-...

Jake

Smile-A-Mile has meant so much to our family from almost Day One of Jake’s sister’s...

Ally

Smile-A-Mile is a place I LOVE!! It brings me together with people that I can...

TJ

Smile-A-Mile and their Hospital Outreach Program (HOP) have made a huge impact in our entire...

Katie

I have the privilege of being involved with Smile-A-Mile in many different facets. I work...

The Bales Family

Words cannot express what Smile-A-Mile means to our family! After diagnosis in November of 2013,...

Lily

I was diagnosed with stage 4 Wilms' Tumor when I was 2 1/2 years old....

Amy

I have had the privilege to serve as a counselor for this wonderful organization since...

Emily

I've been going to Smile-A-Mile for 5 years. My favorite activities are boating, going to...

Stacie

Stacie was one of Smile-A-Mile’s first campers and we love to see her arrive to...

Summer

Smile-A-Mile has been such a huge part of my life for as long as...

Joni & Eleanor

Even though Eleanor’s just a baby, she (and I) love Smile-A-Mile in the Hospital! She...

Adam

For me, what started off as a volunteer opportunity turned into something much bigger then...

Hannah

I am so glad I came to Smile-A-Mile's Sibling Camp! I know that there are...

Abby

Smile-A-Mile is special to me because I get to meet new friends and hang out...

Mark

When I first came to Camp SAM in 2010 as a camper at Jr/Sr weekend,...

Samantha

Smile-A-Mile became by second family in the summer of 2008. When I first arrived as...

Haley

Smile-A-Mile feels like home to me even though I have only been once. It is...

Jenna

My favorite thing about Smile-A-Mile is not found in an activity, it is simply the...

Michelle

We didn’t know what we were missing until we went to camp. Madison was diagnosed...

Matt

My favorite part about Smile-A-Mile is being able to give back. I was diagnosed with...

Chris

As a thirteen-year-old survivor, I thought my brief struggle with cancer from March of 2009...

Patrick

My sister, Abby, was diagnosed with cancer as an infant in 2007 when I was...

Corey

Smile-A-Mile has helped me a lot. In the hospital, staying almost 30 days, it can...

Angelica

I love the camp atmosphere. There is nothing like it. I adored camp as a...

Hannah

Smile-A-Mile has been such a huge part of my life for as long as I...

The Watts Family

Smile-A-Mile has benefited us as a family in so many ways. Taylor (pictured left) was...

Zach

Smile-A-Mile is my favorite place in the world. This organization has made a huge impact...