Brooke’s Garden: A Story of Love And Butterflies

Photos courtesy of the Sailer family

“There is love and support all around, sometimes where you least expect it.”
-Marie Sailer

Oftentimes, a small gesture makes a meaningful difference.  Such was the case when a family friend put together a butterfly garden outside the window of Brooke Sailer.  Brooke, a Mira Catalina Elementary School student, was fighting pediatric cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, which kept her indoors most of one summer. Her garden was filled with milkweed, a botanical that is the sole host plant to the Monarch butterfly caterpillar. The hope was to lift Brooke’s spirits by enabling her to watch and enjoy butterflies outside her window.  No one imagined how this would inspire her and the Mira Catalina school community.

At age 4, Brooke was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a cancer of the kidney that mostly affects children.   Although she was in and out of treatment while attending Mira Catalina, the administration worked with her family to ensure that she remained a part of the school community.   She was assigned a teacher to homeschool, but when she was able, she also attended school with her classmates. Brooke’s mother, Marie Sailer, explains that often Brooke was only able to spend part of the day with her class and often had to miss school, but a desk with her name on it was always ready in the classroom.  She was never made to feel different by teachers or classmates. When she was in the hospital, her classmates made and sent cards. Marie explains that “The school became part of our extended family.”

At home, the special garden outside the window resonated with Brooke. She had always loved animals, even bugs, and dreamed of being a veterinarian. She also loved to learn and because of her growing interest in butterflies, she was given a Monarch butterfly habitat kit.  She learned to find larvae on the milkweed in her backyard butterfly garden and when eggs hatched, she collected the tiny caterpillars, sometimes 20 at a time, and placed them in her habitat. Every day, she checked for larvae and cared for the caterpillars. She fed them by placing milkweed in the habitat until they formed into a chrysalis, then, she would wait 10 to 14 days for the butterflies to emerge and release them into her yard.  For years, butterflies swarmed in her yard.  Well over 100 Monarch butterflies were released into the Peninsula. Marie believes that the butterflies helped Brooke with what she was going through and gave her a sense of purpose.

Brooke courageously fought a six-year battle with pediatric cancer.  She died on Jan. 22, 2023. Her 4^th-grade teacher, Laurie Marks, wrote the following tribute: “Each and every time Brooke entered our classroom this 4^th-grade year, students fell over one another to receive the joyous privilege of partnering with her. Several considered Brooke their best friend and continue to write about her in their daily journaling activity. Brooke brought an indescribable quality of love to our environment this year. She will forever be remembered in our hearts.” The Mira Catalina parents and teachers rallied around Brooke’s family and wanted to do something special to remember her and share her love of butterflies with students.

Shannon Terrell, a kindergarten teacher at Mira Catalina and parent of one of Brooke’s classmates, knew about and shared Brooke’s love of butterflies. Mira Catalina’s principal, Dr. Annie Ernandes, explained that Shannon was instrumental in creating the garden. With donations from 4^th and 5^th-grade families and local nurseries, a permanent butterfly garden was planted on campus and dedicated in Brooke’s memory on April 10, 2023. Shannon explained that the location of the garden is the first thing you see when you walk through the school and is “a place to honor Brooke.” It is also a place for her classmates to remember her in a positive way. Dr. Ernandes shared that, “Brooke was welcoming, a bundle of love, and the garden reflects that welcoming spirit.”

In sharing about Brooke, Marie, wants people to know that “there is love and support all around, sometimes where you least expect it.” Palos Verdes Magazine is honored to share Brooke’s story and about her garden at Mira Catalina Elementary. We hope the next time you see a Monarch butterfly flutter by, you remember Brooke and be inspired.