Turning Pain into Smiles: Meg’s Smile Foundation Names New Rex Holly Springs Hospital Play Space

Meg Wasley

Photo: Jaime Lackey

Jim and Terri Wasley suffered what for them was the unthinkable in early 2011 when their 8-year-old daughter, Meg, passed away from a brain tumor.

“Meg really made it easy on us by never asking why this was happening to her,” Jim Wasley said. “It was really kind of late in her battle when her doctor told us that she knew what was happening to her. She said she knew we loved her, and she just didn’t want to see us more upset than we already were. That’s the kind of kid she was.”

To honor Meg, the Wasleys started Meg’s Smile Foundation, which provides “smiles” for children diagnosed with serious illnesses.

The smiles requests vary. For example, there was Russell, who’d been battling cancer for almost eight years and discovered at age 18 that he wasn’t going to survive. Russell was very interested in the events of September 11 and had never visited New York.

“We got a call at 3 p.m. on a Friday saying if he doesn’t go to New York next week, he can’t go because that’s how bad his condition was,” Wasley said. “I sent something to our Board members and we started working by phone. By Tuesday, we sent him and five family members to New York City. They were escorted by the 9/11 Museum director and given a guided tour.”

The Foundation’s first smile involved a boy named Franklin, big trucks and his own battery-operated Humvee. Another request led to a young man receiving a diamond ring just in time to propose to his girlfriend. Yet another involved sprucing up a young woman’s car, complete with a purple paint job, body work and a stereo system.

The Foundation provides smiles for children and young adults up to age 26, provided they were diagnosed with their serious illness before their 19th birthday. This year, Meg’s Smile Foundation is naming the play space in Rex Holly Springs Hospital, as well as providing toys in the Pediatric unit at UNC Rex Healthcare.

“When we heard they were building a new hospital here in Holly Springs, it was just a no-brainer for us,” Wasley said. “Not only when we were battling with Meg, but when we started the Meg’s Smile Foundation, the community support has never waned. My wife and I have lived in Holly Springs since 2002, and a hospital has been talked about for a while. To see that it’s really here is incredible, and we think it’s a fabulous opportunity to give back to the community.”

Meg’s Smile Board member and Holly Springs businessman Sean Mayefskie agrees.

“I’m a big believer in giving back to the community,” Mayefskie said. “When we heard the new hospital was opening, we wanted to make sure Meg’s Smile was part of it. The community has been a big part of this Foundation since the beginning … and we wanted to be part of this new endeavor Rex is bringing to Holly Springs.”

Mayefskie has served on the Board for six years. And Board member Mary Fuoto joined two years ago.

“The donation for the permanent room in the new hospital, for me, solidifies the community response and our ability to say to anyone who’s going through a hospital stay that here’s a quiet place,” said Fuoto. “It’s a way for us to continue in a permanent way to tell Meg’s story.

“This is the first time we’ve done something on this level,” Fuoto continued. “Our mission statement is to bring a smile to an individual child, but sometimes we’ll contribute wind chimes to a garden or parking passes to clinics. This room will be a permanent legacy for Meg and all of the good things that her passing has brought to other children.”

Fuoto, Mayefskie and Wasley hope the play space and toys bring joy to children’s lives — just as the Foundation has done some 380 times and counting. The Wasleys also have a son, Jake, 21, and a daughter, Izzy, 10. To them, supporting UNC Rex this way makes perfect sense.

“It was important to us because of Meg’s age and also because of the mission of Meg’s Smile Foundation to help children and young people,” Wasley said. “Our aim is to help as many children in the state of North Carolina as we can.”

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Gifts to UNC Rex Healthcare are made through the Rex Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3). The Rex Healthcare Foundation can be reached at (919) 784-4424 or rex.foundation@unchealth.unc.edu.