Widow Performs 318 Random Acts Of Kindness In Tribute To Husband's Cancer Fight
BOSTON (CBS) - For 318 days, Chad Wogernese fought a brave battle against cancer. His widow, Colleen, says during his fight, she learned so much about love. On Friday, she performed 318 random acts of kindness to give back to those who made a difference in his life.
"It mostly just makes me happy and gives me a good memory of him," the former Northeastern grad student says.
Chad was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma on the couple's second wedding anniversary and spent the last 318 days of his life shuttling back and forth between their Wisconsin home and Boston, getting treatment for that deadly cancer. He died in September.
"I never heard a complaint, I never heard a 'why me,'" Colleen says.
And so to honor his memory, and return a favor, Colleen returned to Boston for the random acts of kindness.
She started at Brigham and Women's Hospital with gift bags for staffers who had helped Chad, but then moved on to strangers, with free Charlie Cards, lottery tickets, candy and even hand-knit caps.
Colleen knows her sons Ethan and Nolan won't remember much about their dad, and so missions like these are a good lesson for them.
"He was just so giving, I want my children to know how giving he was and this was the best way to show them," Colleen says.
And so she is determined to dispense kindness, feeling that when she does -- her husband is right there with her.
"I want to live the rest of my life that way, instead of sitting there feeling sorry for myself, turn it into something good," she says.
Before Chad died, he and Colleen started "Superheroes Fighting Cancer" to help families with a loved one battling a serious illness.
The non-profit hopes to raise $40,000 dollars this year.
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