A Mother’s Strength: Dina Besic on Childhood Cancer, Hope & Maxwell’s Toy Box

When Dina Besic’s two-year-old son Max was diagnosed with leukemia, life changed overnight. Dina shares the shock and anger of hearing the word “cancer,” how she and her husband leaned on each other, and the way small gestures—coffee on the porch, a check-in text—became lifelines. She also tells the origin story of Maxwell’s Toy Box, the nonprofit she founded to bring comfort, toys, and moments of joy to kids in treatment and hope to their families (maxwellstoybox.com).