LAWRENCE, Indiana — Dealing with the loss of a loved one is difficult for any family. One mom in Lawrence is keeping the memory of her daughter alive by spreading joy and happiness all over central Indiana in the form of frozen treats.
When you see the Moo & Lou Frozen Treats food truck, just know that there’s a mother-daughter team onboard delivering free smiles with every order.
“Our nonprofit is called 'Maddie Smiles,'" said Paula Strauss, the owner of the food truck.
“We started that after my daughter, Maddie, passed away from complications from gallbladder surgery at Riley Hospital. She was 19, she was full of love, she was full of life. She was nonverbal. Maddie was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, and she had cerebral palsy," Strauss said. "We do acts of kindness in her memory, and that's how we ended up with Moo & Lou Frozen Treats — Moo and Lou are my daughters!”
“I’ve been called Lacy Lou my whole life,” said Strauss' oldest daughter, Lacy Ross, who works on the frozen treat truck six days a week with her mom. “It's always been Lacy Lou and Maddie Moo!”
For this family, it’s all about being incredibly positive in the face of unthinkable loss.
“This is the way that we're able to talk about Maddie and spread her smile and her kindness,” Strauss said. “We're able to talk about Maddie, make sure that she's not forgotten.”
“She's part of my every day; she always was and she always will be,” Strauss said, while wiping away tears. “Losing a child is the worst thing and the hardest thing you could ever live through. But there's positivity in everything, inspiring others to be kind like she was. It's something that gets us through every day.”
And when they hand someone a snow cone or cup of ice cream, the smile they see reminds them of Maddie.
“You can't be in a bad mood when you get a snow cone handed to you,” Ross said. “Everybody's faces just light up!”
Every year on June 29 — the date of Maddie’s passing — Strauss and Ross visit fire stations and police stations to give out frozen treats to thank first responders.
“It just warms your heart because we’re doing what Maddie would be proud of,” Ross said. “Her smile could light up a room, so we just love seeing smiles and other people's faces to keep that smile alive. I think that's really what we're doing.”
A few months ago, Ross had a daughter of her own, who they’re calling “Sophie Sue.” They’re hoping to name a dessert after her in the very near future.
Click here to see Moo & Lou Frozen Treats' full schedule.