Month in Memories: July 2026
In July, One Day to Remember families had some amazing adventures. They cheered at baseball games, met penguins up close, raced down water slides, explored new cities, and spent time with the people they love most.
But what mattered most wasn’t the destination. It was the time spent together.
During July, 21 families from 15 states enjoyed their own One Day to Remember. For 38 children, it was a chance to take a break from the challenges of having a parent with advanced-stage cancer and just enjoy time as a family.
This month also marked a special milestone for our organization!
Celebrating Our 800th Family
In July, One Day to Remember was honored to serve our 800th family!
Gillian, a 38-year-old mom living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, spent her One Day to Remember at PNC Park with her fiancé Ben and their 8-year-old son Theo. So a day at the ballpark was the perfect experience for their family.
Our organization started in 2016 with just one nurse, one family, and one idea. Reaching 800 families is hard to describe.
Eight hundred families mean thousands of special moments: children laughing with their parents, sharing adventures, taking photos, telling stories, and making memories that are now part of each family’s life. Marked number 800, but their day represented every family who came before them and every family we hope to serve in the future.
Where July Took Us
No two One Day to Remember experiences are the same, just as no two families are the same. We plan each outing with the family’s interests, abilities, and wishes in mind. July showed just how unique each experience can be.
Sports-loving families had plenty to cheer about.
One family watched the Los Angeles Dodgers play the Athletics. Another traveled to Kansas City for a Royals game. Gillian’s family cheered for the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, and another enjoyed the excitement of a Savannah Bananas game.
One family traveled from Arizona to Seattle to watch Team USA play Belgium in the FIFA World Cup.
Other families spent their days meeting amazing animals up close. Zoo & Aquarium, one family enjoyed a special penguin encounter. Another traveled to the Toledo Zoo for encounters with lemurs and bears, while a family from Louisiana visited the Mississippi Aquarium for another unforgettable penguin experience.
Later in the month, a Pennsylvania family visited the National Aviary in Pittsburgh and had their own special penguin encounter.
For some families, the perfect day included rides, water slides, and a bit of adventure. Families made memories at Kings Island, Sesame Place, Great Wolf Lodge, Camelback Resort and Camelbeach, Kennywood, and Hersheypark. One family paired their Camelback getaway with a zipline adventure, creating a trip filled with both rest and excitement.
Another family traveled from Kentucky to Indianapolis to visit the Children’s Museum, while a family from Oklahoma went to San Antonio for a special day at SeaWorld.
Some families enjoyed quieter adventures, too. A family from Maine spent their day exploring beautiful Monhegan Island, while a West Virginia family experienced the scenery of their home state aboard Mountain Rail West Virginia.
In South Dakota, a family spent their day at iSmash. In Omaha, another family enjoyed time together at Châm Pang Lanes.
Different interests. Different experiences. But the same purpose behind each one.
21 families.
38 children.
15 states represented.
Our 800th family served.
But numbers alone can’t show the true impact of July.
It’s in a child seeing a penguin up close for the first time.
It’s in a family cheering together when their team scores.
It’s in the nervous excitement before trying a zipline.
It’s in the photos that will end up in frames, on refrigerators, and in the special photo books our families receive.
And it’s in having a story to tell that isn’t about cancer.
For families facing advanced-stage cancer, life often revolves around appointments, treatments, scans, medications, and uncertainty. One Day to Remember doesn’t change the diagnosis. It changes the focus.
For one day, the question isn’t, "What’s next with treatment?"
Instead, it’s, "What are we going to do together today?"
Looking forward to the memories still to come!
July showed us how far one idea can go.
From California to Maine, and South Dakota to Pennsylvania, families across the country spent time doing what mattered most with the people who mattered most.
And in the middle of all these adventures, One Day to Remember reached a milestone we’ll never forget: 800 families served.
Eight hundred families.
Eight hundred stories.
And thousands of memories made along the way.
We are so grateful to the donors, volunteers, photographers, community partners, medical professionals, and supporters who make these days possible.
Because of you, July was more than simply another month.
For 21 families, it became part of their story.
And we can’t wait to see where the next One Day to Remember will take us.
