Since many wish-fulfillment organizations stop at the age of 18, 17 Strong aims to fill the gap of young adults that are forgotten after battling a disease like cancer. The victory trip was something Ryan Teixeira was not able to do but something Bonnie Broe got to experience after her battle with a brain tumor.
"We found out that I had a brain tumor called CNS lymphoma. It's usually fatal. There's not a whole lot of cases where people have gone into remission," Victory Trip recipient Bonnie Broe explained.
Bonnie was pregnant at the time of her diagnosis and had to choose to terminate her pregnancy in order to survive
"They were saying that I would probably not make it within three months if I didn't start chemotherapy, and I would only live to be out for about five years. They were not expecting me to go into remission at all and after nine months of going through chemotherapy, we found out on Christmas Eve that I was actually in remission."
Bonnie's doctor introduced her to the Holly and Steve Teixeira and the 17 Strong Foundation where she was then granted a victory trip to Greece, and five years later she was back at the fundraiser this year as a VIP guest with her 7-week-old baby, Raleigh.
"He was healthy from the beginning and he's still health and I'm just so grateful for that because we weren't sure if we were going to ever be able to have kids again."
Since 2017, 17 Strong has fulfilled over 136 trips, served survivors from 22 states in the U.S. as well as granted victory trips to 27 countries around the world.
"It's a hard thing to go through," Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor and Victory Trip recipient Amy Beaudet explained. "They've watched it and to try to carry something out because it's something that somebody else wished for, it says a lot about them. They're really great people."
The annual fundraiser gathered 850 guests at the Thousand Hills Ranch in Pismo Beach with auctions and raffles supporting the Teixeira's cause for those like Amy and Bonnie who have looked cancer in the face and claimed victory.
