Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

Malia Grace: Fighter

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

A couple of weeks ago I was looking for unique "holidays" online to share on our morning newscast. I remember seeing February 18 as "International Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day."  Regular readers here know that I'm in the midst of a health kick so I didn't click the link for the details of this sweet sounding day.  Honestly, I didn't want (or really need) a temptation to eat ice cream anytime. 

Then on the afternoon of February 18 I saw a post on Facebook about WHY the day is devoted to eating ice cream for breakfast.  It's all in honor of a little girl named Malia Grace.  She was born February 18, 2001, just a few months shy of my middle son's birthday.  Sadly, in 2010 Malia died after a long battle with cancer.  As a way of honoring the creative and energetic girl, friends and family members posted a few pictures of themselves eating ice cream at the start of their day. The idea quickly went viral.

Eating ice cream for breakfast

Eighty-three countries now participate in the holiday, not just to honor Malia, but all children who have or are battling cancer.  Life's too short to save dessert for the end of the day. After I read the article about the reasoning, I quickly decided I wanted to participate, even if it was a day late.  So I hid the last drumstick in our freezer behind a bag of homemade soup so my kids wouldn't find it.  When I went into work the next morning, instead of heating up my usual scrambled egg or oatmeal, I happily indulged and enjoyed the caramel and chocolate goodness I'd safely tucked away in my lunch box.  As I ate the treat, I thought about why I was doing it and was reminded how lucky my wife and I are to have three healthy children.

RIP Malia

Malia's family has a Facebook page and a website to keep their young daughter's memory alive.  People have been sharing their photos and thoughts for the last couple of years. It's a new tradition I'll gladly participate in every February 18.  Hopefully after reading this and understanding the meaning of the day, you too will have a scoop (or two) in honor of young ones fighting a horrible disease.  If you do participate, upload a pic and use #IceCreamForBreakfast and #KidsGetCancerToo