PASCACK VALLEY—Check out the podcast “Hope Through Shattered Dreams.” Gina Franco launched this “hope and grief” podcast on Feb. 16, the fourth anniversary of daughter Dominique’s passing.
Franco tells Pascack Press, “We raised $7,000 for Dominique’s Journey Foundation, which we use for scholarships. The podcast is on Spotify and 5–7 minutes long. We hosted the event at Valley Burgers and Brew in River Vale, which was amazing.”
Four episodes are out at press time: Welcome; Grief is Cyclical, Not Linear; Guilt WTF; and Dominique’s Passions.
Mike and Gina Franco started the non-profit Dominique’s Journey [dominiquesjourney.com] “to honor our beautiful daughter, Dominque Franco, who passed away suddenly on Feb. 16, 2019, at 21. She was our youngest child, our only daughter, with four older brothers who adore her. She was truly our bundle of love, joy, and endless energy.”
Dominque was in her junior year at the University of Rhode Island, studying to be a nurse, and was president of her sorority. “She lit up the entire room with her amazing smile. She had a heart of gold and was truly determined to change the world and make it a better place.”
The Francos say Dominique’s passion was to help others, especially children. “Her dream job was to be a pediatric oncology nurse at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital so she could help the children and their families through the toughest fight of their lives.”
Dominque started raising money for St. Jude’s when she was 5. She started with lemonade stands, then garage sales and various fundraisers — “anything she could do to help. As she got older, she also held fundraisers for a toy drive at Hackensack University Medical Center.”
At 16, she raised enough money to buy holiday toys for all the kids in the oncology department, and continued that tradition each year until her passing.
The Francos say, “Our mission is to keep Dominique’s spirit and passion alive with Dominique’s Journey Foundation. We will continue her efforts of raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Hackensack University Medical Center, the two organizations that she was so dedicated to helping and supporting.”