Caldwell family receives Make-a-Wish honor

The family of Enterprise native Bryce Caldwell was honored in November with a spirit award from Make-A-Wish America.

Bryce’s parents Jeremy and Suzy Caldwell were awarded with the Lori Schultz-Betancourt Indomitable Spirit Award at Make-A-Wish America’s annual national conference in Phoenix, Ariz.

The award is presented every year to, “a family who embodies the essence of an ‘indomitable spirit’ and possesses the qualities of persistence, bravery, compassion, integrity and dedication,” according to Make-A-Wish America.

In December of 2017, Bryce Caldwell lost his hard-fought battle with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), which was six months past the prognosis of life expectancy that was given by his doctors.

His family credited the wish that was granted by Make-A-Wish Alabama earlier in 2017 that allowed Bryce Caldwell a chance to meet his favorite team, the Denver Broncos, for extending his life.

“That experience – when you’re going through some pretty dark times – is a bright light,” Bryce’s father Jeremy Caldwell said. “That’s why it means the world to us to keep Bryce’s spirit alive and to be able to remember him and to talk about him and share his story, and that will hopefully encourage others to either donate their time or money in order to give other families and children the experience that we got.”

Shortly after his son’s passing, Jeremy Caldwell signed up for the Alabama Trailblaze Challenge, which is an annual endurance training and fundraising program that raises funds to grant wishes for children with critical illnesses. The challenge culminates with a 26.3-mile hike, completed in just one day.

During the year the Caldwell family – known as Team Bryce’s Buddies – raised more than $40,000 for Make-A-Wish Alabama.

“This award represents determination, never giving up,” Jeremy Caldwell said upon accepting the award. “Our family motto throughout Bryce’s illness – and since then – has been to, ‘keep fighting, no matter what, keep fighting,’

“That is what we did and what we continue to do each day.”

Jeremy Caldwell said that his family was honored to even be considered for the award.

“Even to just be considered or nominated for that type of award was incredible,” he said. “We were grateful just to be considered, let alone to win. There are a lot of really incredible people that did some great things that were nominated, so to be a part of that was amazing.”

The Caldwell family also pointed to the Enterprise community for the amount of support Bryce and his family received from the beginning.

“Having that many people get behind you and lift you up when your world is kind of falling apart gives you the energy you need to keep fighting and keep moving forward,” Jeremy Caldwell said. “We’re just grateful of everybody in the Enterprise community.”