Jeff and Jennifer Richmond recently withdrew the last of the money from Katie’s Fund.

The donations truly sustained the Central Whidbey family for about four years as their daughter, Kaitlin, battled a form of childhood cancer that ultimately took her life last September. She was 7 years old.

“It was very emotional to close Kaitlin’s fund because it represents our community and the love and support they’ve given us,” Jennifer said. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

They deposited the money straight into a new fund they hope will carry on their daughter’s legacy and memory indefinitely. It became the first donation to the new Believe Foundation, a nonprofit group the couple just started.

The purpose of the foundation, they say, is to provide comfort to families affected by childhood cancer and to assist in research for a cure. Cancer is the leading cause of death from disease in children, according to the American Cancer Society.

“We encourage the community to continue to join us in this legacy of love,” Jennifer said.

The centerpiece of their plans for the foundation is Kaitlin’s book, titled “Believe, the Story of Kaitlin’s Kiger.” Before she passed on, Kaitlin made one last request: “Momma, read my story to children in hospitals.”

The story grew out of a real experience in which Kaitlin got lost near her home and came upon some horses. It was a magical experience for her.

Later, when she was recovering from a stem cell transplant, she asked her mother to tell her a story about a little girl and a Kiger, which is a unique and ancient breed of horse.

Jeff explained that Kaitlin formed the story into her own.

“The words are Kaitlin’s,” he explained. “She would stop her mother as she was telling the story and say no, that’s not how it goes.”

The family turned the story into a beautiful book, which Kaitlin’s Aunt Sally illustrated. The little girl got to see and read a completed copy of the book not long before she peacefully passed away at home, surrounded by her family.

The Richmonds want to share the book, and the comfort it provides, to children with serious illnesses. They also hope to raise money for the foundation by selling the book.

Over the next year, the Richmonds plan to bring more people onto the board of directors of the foundation and to create a detailed business plan. They have a lot of ideas about ways to raise money and awareness, get the community involved, and help families affected by childhood cancer.

Jeff said his dream is to open a cottage, perhaps on property adjacent to their rural Coupeville acreage. It would be a place where families that have a child with cancer can stay for a free weekend retreat. It would have a special, clean environment for children with compromised immune systems.

Often families staying at the Seattle Ronald McDonald House, he said, don’t have anywhere to go even when they get a short reprieve from treatment.

“Seeing the families stay there, it’s almost like being trapped,” he said. “The purpose is to have a place where they don’t have to worry about anything.”

Also, Jennifer said she hopes to start an annual event, hopefully beginning this year, to commemorate Kaitlin’s birthday. This July 21 would have been the girl’s 8th birthday.

Erin Waterman, a South Whidbey woman, also plans to take part in the foundation, as do many other island residents with connections to the Richmonds or childhood cancer. Waterman’s 6-year-old daughter, Carli Newman, is winning a battle with a rare form of childhood cancer. Read more about her at www.caringbridge.org/wa/carli.

Waterman said one way she hopes the foundation can help families is to provide them with information about resources, as well as touchstones with others who have or are going through the same experiences.

“The need is so great for something in Island County,” she said. “From my experience it’s so easy to feel you’re isolated, even though the numbers are here.”

Jennifer said she was inspired to name the group the Believe Foundation from a passage in the Bible. Jesus tells his disciples: “This is the work of God, that you believe.”

But while the family members draw courage and inspiration from the words of Jesus Christ, they said they don’t want to alienate anyone in need with their beliefs.

Last week the foundation held its first event. The volunteers traveled to the Ronald McDonald House and Children’s Hospital, both in Seattle, where they shared Kaitlin’s story and several stories from Carli’s grade school class. They also helped the children create a banner, “Stomp Out Childhood Cancer,” to represent the children during the CureSearch event in Washington D.C., June 26.

Both Newman and the Richmonds say the experience of having a seriously ill child is life altering in ways that may be hard for others to understand.

“It’s difficult to find normal again,” Waterman said. “The whole experience is so profound. What do you do with that?”

For the two families, they are using their hard-earned experiences and knowledge to help others.

You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.