Good & Glory’s Roots
At the time I'm writing this it's been two years since our world got absolutely rocked. You never see something like that coming. "Maybe she needs glasses.", "Maybe it's an inner ear infection.", "Could she be deficient in a vitamin? We should ask them to check those levels." All the things Neal and I brainstormed as we sat in the hospital desperately trying to find out what was going on with our precious 13 month old daughter. Less than a week earlier, all we had noticed was a tiny flicker in her eye a few times. Nothing much and nothing anyone else would have even seen. But when you're a parent, you know. Deep down you just know when it's not right. So we headed to the ER praying one of the things we mentioned above was true. Scan after scan. Not her brain, not seizures... we were checking off all the big boxes. And then the MRI. Please let this box get checked off too. "We found a mass. It could be benign but at this point we have reason to believe it's cancer." Absolute shock. Cancer? Our daughter? What?? Words we'd never heard and couldn't even pronounce were flying around the room. That night is seared in my mind, yet in the same breath, it still feels like an out of body experience. Slowly we began to pick ourselves up realizing it was time to fight for our daughter's life. On October 15, 2021 Molly Margaret was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and opsoclonus myoclonus (OMS - an extremely rare neurological autoimmune disease which was triggered by the tumor).
Fast forward through two tumor resection surgeries, several rounds of chemotherapy, countless steroids and IVIG infusions to March 2022. After her final surgery, pathology indicated the remaining sliver of tumor was made up of mature cells and we could officially end treatment for the cancer. As for the OMS, its rarity combined with a high relapse rate caused the treatment plan to be much longer. Monthly infusions of IVIG have continued to manage that and will for another year.
Fast forward a few more months to August 2022. As Neal and I sat around our dinner table one Friday night, we were talking about our passions, dreams and how we felt the Lord working in our lives. Neal was asking some deep questions about purpose and calling. We were recounting all we had been through in the last year. One thing led to another and before we went to bed that night, the idea behind Good & Glory was born. Less than a year earlier when we were sitting in that hospital room trying to pick ourselves off the floor from shock we felt God clearly call us to share our story. We knew that no matter what happened our story would lead others to Him. He would get the glory. You see, while the story was happening to us it was never really about us. It's always been about a good Father who loves His children deeply. On one hand, we (I, in particular) wanted to walk away from the world of pediatric illness and be done. It’s painful to stay immersed in it. But on the other hand, we knew we were being called to stay and sit with those who found themselves in a similar position to where we had just months earlier found ourselves. So, we started a non-profit to do just that!
After that Friday night conversation, we started researching and fleshing out details. We named the company, officially created it, got our branding professionally done. And in December 2022 we launched! Since then we have officially launched seven "My Story Shirts" for families and we have 10+ more in the queue. What an absolute honor it is to hold these stories and walk alongside these families. We are just getting started and would love for you to join us! There are so many ways you can jump in and be part of what's happening here at Good & Glory. Keep watching our social media accounts and website to learn more about who we are and how you can get involved. Together we can make a difference, one shirt at a time!
Mackenzie O’Quinn, co-founder of Good & Glory
