'This Is Beautiful': New Lenox Mom In Cancer Fight Treated To Lights

NEW LENOX, IL — The holiday spirit made its way to a New Lenox woman in a fight for her life Sunday—and it came with sirens blazing and Christmas music blaring.

As Natalie Davies looked up at her family's home on Haven Avenue near Nelson road and the dozens of volunteers in a flurry around it, it was a glowing moment in the midst of a dark medical battle. Davies, 36, took comfort in the volunteers scurrying around her front yard, stringing lights across the roof and meticulously placing inflatables and figurines. Firefighters spilled out of engines with what seemed to be a pretty seamless plan of attack—grab the Tupperwares, sort the string lights, deck the tree branches, get the extension cords ready. There were few idle hands as they responded to this very important call.

The work was part of Finley Forever Foundation's "Lights and Ladders Brigade," an organized effort to plot a course to decorate the homes of families fighting illness during the holidays. Nearly a year into a fight against stage four pancreatic cancer, Davies and husband Bill feared they might not be able to harken the holiday spirit to their home. Davies was diagnosed in March 2024.

"With me being sick, it's hard to do basically anything," Natalie said. "So to have that little bit of Christmas spirit is really nice."

Finley Forever Founder Dan Bracken started the foundation, and later the brigade, following the Sept. 2020 death of his 2-year-old daughter Finley, less than a year after she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma. Firefighters volunteer their time to decorate the homes of multiple recipients—a task Bracken said families often can't take on as they face illness.

This was the brigade's third year expanding to the Lincoln-Way area, and even Santa made an appearance.

"For me personally, it’s taking away that 'unknown,'" Bracken told Patch previously. "They probably never would have had the time to do this. It’s being able to show up, put some lights up have all my family friends, complete strangers bring the community together. Hang the lights, and leave them with this forever. It’s theirs."

For the Davies family with daughters Lyla, 4, and Gwen, 2, Santa's stop with wrapped toys and gifts for the girls brought much-needed joy.

"It's so special," Natalie said. "It's definitely overwhelming, but in a good way. It feels nice.

"... to see a community come together, is really nice to see. ... Just seeing it all is overwhelmingly awesome."

The family has lived in New Lenox since 2018. Bill Davies works as a maintenance mechanic at UPS. Prior to her diagnosis, Natalie worked at Experian.

Bill was stunned by how it all came together—even a helicopter flyover was included.

"I knew it was going to be an event," he said, "but I didn't think it was going to be like this."

The brigade functions solely from donations as well as sales of yard signs, sponsorships, and themed merchandise. The group this year decorated four homes, with the other three located in Evergreen Park, Mt. Greenwood, and West Beverly.

"We help every family out with their electrical bill, because lights are very expensive," Bracken told Patch previously. "Everything we bring in, is put right back out."

Sunday's decorating crew came from departments including New Lenox, Frankfort, Mokena, Evanston, Flossmoor, Chicago, Calumet City, Posen and Chicago. This year's group also included a visitor from New York, whom Bracken knows through the Illinois Fire Service Institute.

George Healy had previously only heard about the work of the Lights and Ladders Brigade; this was his first time seeing it in action.

"... this is beautiful, I mean, to think that out of his loss something like this comes... " Healy said. "Hopefully it's a level of comfort for his family and what they're dealing with.

"God forbid, any of us have to go through it. But I'm sure to be surrounded by, you know, people that care and people that take a stop at this time of year is kind of special. Especially in the world we live in.

"It's nice to see people helping people, and the fire service is always great. So it really is something to see."

Bill Davies joked the display beat out anything he could have done himself.

"They're doing a hell of a lot better job than I could have ever done," he said, laughing. "...I was not expecting this."

Healy watched with tears as the finishing touches went up.

"I mean, it's awe-inspiring," Healy said. "... I'm sure it means the world to these people. So to be a little part of it, is a blessing."