DANBURY — Efforts to complete one of the only dedicated children’s hospice units in the nation will be supported, in part, by a gentleman who has famously played one of our nation’s founding fathers on Broadway. Regional Hospice will air a virtual fundraiser, “Wish Upon the North Star,” on Thursday, December 3, at 7 pm, to benefit its forthcoming residential hospice space for babies and children, the North Star.

Actor Miguel Cervantes — who played Hamilton on Broadway and in the musical’s Chicago production — along with his wife Kelly are hosting the event to commemorate the life of their daughter, Adelaide, who died in hospice last year just before her 4th birthday. Kelly Cervantes is a national advocate, activist, and speaker for epilepsy research and parenting support.

Miguel will be singing a song he wrote, “‘Til the Calm Comes,” with piano accompaniment by Tamar Greene, who played the role of George Washington alongside Cervantes in the New York production of Hamilton. Since the pandemic brought the curtain down on the show in March, the performers have brought their talents to virtual events like the Wish Upon the North Star fundraiser.

Speaking with The Newtown Bee recently, Miguel admitted he had almost no songwriting experience, but was inspired to write from his and Kelly’s hour-by-hour mission to try and bring peace and calm to their late daughter throughout her too-short life.

“We were doing a fundraising gala in Chicago for epilepsy [research] and I met a guy who was involved who asked me if I ever wrote music — I said not really. He said he thought it would be cool if I wrote a song for my daughter about her struggles,” Miguel recalled. “So he sat down and played a bunch of melodies, and I began to hear one specific melody in that music. Then this sentiment that was inside me came pouring out and I ended up completing the song in one day.

“It was so real and raw, this fight my superhero Kelly and I were fighting every day, so the words just came out. And little did I know that bringing her calm would mean something else,” he said. “So when the opportunity came to sing this song to benefit hospice, it just seemed right and meaningful.”

Miguel said he believes the ultimate desire of any parent, once they come to a point of acceptance when losing a child, is to bring them some peace and relieve all pain.

“So I wrote this song specifically about Adelaide’s [epileptic] seizures, and the violence with which those seizures happened, the unbelievable pain we witnessed,” he said. “The idea is always to try and do everything you can to try and bring some peace and calm. That’s what Kelly and I would fight for, and that’s what this song is all about.”

Welcoming The Calm

Kelly Cervantes said after a period of palliative care services, she and Miguel were grateful to welcome hospice and its unique support into their lives, and the life of their daughter.

“Once we acknowledged Adelaide was in her final decline, bringing hospice in was the best decision we could have made,” Kelly said. “They provided the best way to keep Adelaide comfortable, and to keep her at home. By having hospice, I got to be her mom full-time — not worrying about being a nurse, or a pharmacist anymore. I got to enjoy those last couple of months.”

Kelly recalled when she made that eventual call to hospice, “I was a blubbering mess,” while Miguel was quietly coming to grips with his own acceptance of what was the best decision for his little girl.

“I know for me, the desire to fix and all the searching for ways to make it better through every doctor visit gave way to understanding her little body just couldn’t do this anymore. And your desire to care for her becomes a desire to see her suffering be done,” Miguel said. “Hospice was the best thing for her.”

Kelly’s advice to any parent in her situation is to welcome the kind of support hospice can provide.

“Take all the help you can get,” Kelly said. “It’s a message that came through strongly when I became a parent, and it has to carry through, especially through the end of life. There are these incredible, amazing nurses and health care professionals who want to help make memories, who want to help ease the pain. They’re not going to take the pain away, or the grief away, but they can teach you and help you ease the transition.”

With hushed sadness in her voice, Kelly affirmed, “It is the worst thing in the world to lose a child, but if there are ways to make it a little bit easier on them, then oh my gosh — take them.”

Silent Auction Bounty

Also on the bill for the December 3 fundraiser is a silent auction featuring a cooking class with the Iron Chef and restaurateur, Ming Tsai; a Zoom call with TikTok sensation Mark Anastasio; and a romantic Italian villa get-away, among a range of other unique items and experiences. Singer-songwriter Jon Davis will also perform his own inspiring song “One Wish,” written to benefit the North Star.

Registration for the silent auction is open now at makingthebestofeveryday.org.

The 18,000-square-foot North Star pavilion will be the only dedicated hospice space for babies and children in the Northeast, and one of only five in the country. Each private suite will have an illuminated starry ceiling that mimics a real planetarium so patients can stargaze in bed, day or night.

With full funding, Regional Hospice’s North Star will be the guide for thousands of families in the Northeast who can benefit from residential 24/7 clinical hospice and respite care for children.

Cynthia Emiry Roy, president and chief executive officer of Regional Hospice, expressed her gratitude to Miguel and Kelly for sharing their personal story.

“As parents who have lost a child, they know how much it means to have support through such an anguishing experience,” Roy said.

“The North Star [unit] will be designed to meet the needs of dying children and their families, which are very complex. It will also fill a critical need for respite care,” she added. “Parents must know that they can leave their child in capable and loving hands so they can take a break — whether it’s caring for other children they may have or providing self-care to restore their energy and well-being.”

Registration for the fundraiser is open now at makingthebestofeveryday.org. Learn more about the project at regionalhospicect.org.