Giving back to community ends with overdue honeymoon

Brooke Godsoe bought her 50-50 tickets from Big Brothers Big Sisters last November without much thought that she would actually win, she just wanted to support the non-profit organization in her community.

But her name was drawn on Dec. 10 and with over $2,200 in winnings she’s now planning the honeymoon she always wanted.

“Me and my brother were talking about how many kids are needing Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I have a friend who was thinking about becoming a big sister, so it was by chance that when I went to the grocery store and saw their table, I was already thinking about them,” Godsoe said. “I’m in real estate, so they also let me know that they accept donations of clothing or other household items. I really went to them to get information and bought the ticket just as a donation.”

Two weeks later, she found out she had won and was admittedly shocked by the amount.

For Godsoe and her family, winning the 50-50 is a welcome relief after a tumultuous few years.

“We got engaged when our son (Zander) was born about three years ago and at six months old he went into kidney failure and we spent the next two to three years in and out of hospital,” she said. “We had booked and cancelled the wedding twice.”

Zander was diagnosed with Primary Hyperoxaluria Disease, a rare condition that required two organ transplants.

“When we actually did get married this August, he tripped and fell five minutes before I walked down the aisle in his little tuxedo and broke his arm,” she said. “He didn’t say anything until the next morning, so we didn’t even realize it was broken.”

The family was planning a trip to Boston after the wedding with hotel rooms and baseball tickets booked, but had to cancel because of Zander’s injury and condition.

“Now, we’re going down south, which is what we wanted to do, but didn’t feel comfortable doing that with him at the time,” she said. “But this February we’ll be three years post transplant, which puts him in a safe area.”

Godsoe said Zander still requires feeding through a gastronomy tube and takes medication every 12 hours, which he’ll have to do for the rest of his life, but considering everything he’s gone through is a happy and energetic kid.

“After three years of being in limbo, we’re finally in a good place health-wise,” she said. “We never looked at missing our honeymoon as missing out. We’ve already won so much. He spent 28 days on the donor list and ended up getting a perfect match, but so many families continue to struggle.”

Shelda Cochrane, manager of community engagement with Big Brothers Big Sisters said the Big Bucks raffle continues to grow and supports vital programs in communities across HRM.

Currently it brings in about $200 per week in proceeds to the agency to support mentoring programs,” Cochrane said. “Throughout HRM, we have about 425 kids active in our programs and an additional 100 kids waiting to be matched with an adult mentor. This need is ongoing, and we are always working to find the resources to have a positive impact on the lives of even more kids and their families.”

In the community where Godsoe and her family lives, Lower Sackville, approximately 70 children participate in Big Brothers Big Sisters Programs. As of press time there were 13 children in the community waiting to be matched with a big brother or sister.