Zach's Toy Chest brings happiness to pediatric patients one toy at a time

The idea for Zach's Toy Chest came to Holly Schwab at a particularly difficult time. Her infant son Zach had been diagnosed with cancer and she realized there weren't any toys for kids to play with at Duke Children's Hospital where her son was being treated.

Posted 2:00 a.m. Jan 7, 2019 — Updated 2:00 a.m. Jan 7, 2019

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

, Go Ask Mom editor

The idea for Zach's Toy Chest came to Holly Schwab at a particularly difficult time. Her infant son Zach had been diagnosed with cancer and she realized there weren't any toys for kids to play with at Duke Children's Hospital where her son was being treated.

Fast forward a decade or so, and Zach is 11 and 10 years cancer free since August. Schwab and her husband are the parents of two more kids - Maverick, 4, and Caroline, 2. And Zach's Toy Chest is booming. In fact, Schwab quit her full-time job in telecommunications to serve as executive director of the group.

"We are a very blessed family and we know it! It's because of how blessed we are that we keep Zach's Toy Chest going," Schwab tells me. "The kids at the hospitals are depending on us now."

I featured Schwab many years ago, but I thought it was time to check back in now that the nonprofit has grown so much. Here's more from Schwab about the backstory behind this amazing group and how you can help.

Go Ask Mom: How did Zach's Toy Chest get its start?

Holly Schwab: Zach's Toy Chest was created from a dark time for our family. When Zachary was nine months old, he was diagnosed with stage 3, intermediate risk Neuroblastoma. We had just moved back to North Carolina two months earlier. I was in a new job that I had transferred with from Las Vegas to Cary. And my husband was fired from his job from a local cable company for requesting time off for Zach's first major surgery. It was a very scary time for us.

Lucky for us, we had Duke Children's Hospital, family and friends surrounding us and helping throughout this grueling ordeal. While at the hospital, we realized there was nothing for the kids to play with unless they brought something from home. Each night when we'd get home from Zach's chemo or testing, we would wash his toys we'd taken to the hospital with us that day. Then pack it all back up to get ready for the next day. He only had what we brought with us each day at the clinics. This is what planted the seed of Zach's Toy Chest. I started really looking around and saw how we could fill a void and actually help kid and families every day while they get through the daily gruel of cancer treatment.

GAM: Go Ask Mom featured you guys a few years ago. How has the organization grown since then?

HS: Since we last spoke, Zach's Toy Chest has really exploded and we are actively looking for volunteers for committees and board members. We need the help in order to keep up with the demand from the hospitals. We've also grown at each hospital. We started at Duke Children's on the oncology floor and was able to spread out to all four floors to cover every outpatient clinic where a child would be seen.

Then we moved to do the same at UNC Children's and the James & Connie Maynard in Greenville, N.C. Currently, we are the only nonprofit that supplies each hospital with new items all year long, for both in and out-patient. This is like a dream come true for me to see the nonprofit grow like it has. I never could have predicted this is where I'd be from that first toy drive - and I wouldn't change a thing!

GAM: What do you love about what you do?

HS: I love that we get to be the reason behind a child's smile. The thought of making sure there are no kids left scared or lonely is what motivates me. The toy they get from the treasure chest from having a hard day of chemo brings them joy. This, in turn, brings some small joy to the parent. It also brings some joy to the nurse or doctor who helped pick out the toy. All of this comes full circle and supports the goal of making sure we help bring smiles to each child, receiving care at the facilities we partner with at this time.

GAM: Going into the new year, what's your top need?

HS: Donations for teens and infants. These are the top two groups that are always requested by every hospital, each time we make a donation. Our website lists ideas for both age groups.

We also need monetary donations to purchase items that are needed that do not get donated. One hundred percent of every dollar goes to purchase toys as all overhead is covered by our family.

GAM: How can people support your work?

HS: We'd love for people to get involved and help! You can help deliver toys or serve on a committee, become a board member or write a check. We need all of these things.

Go Ask Mom features local moms every Monday.

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