The Smith 6, as their family and friends often call them, have called Wilmette, IL home since Ned accepted a professorship at the nearby Northwestern University in 2013. Five years later, in late December 2018, the family received the shock of their lives when Ned was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an extremely aggressive form of primary brain cancer. Erin and Ned knew it would take a village to navigate Ned’s cancer journey, not only for themselves, but also for their four children, Finnegan, Beckett, Eliza, and Cecily.

I walked into the gym facing a circle of chairs ready to facilitate the first family meeting of what came to be known as Pickles. I remember introductions were initially quiet as the parents and children began to introduce themselves and participate in the ice breaker with some hesitation.