We started with… a mentor
We started with a... mentor. Here's Barbara, mom to Jamie Hess, setting up for the 2016 Heroes Art Ball. I look at this photo and remember how important Barbara and her husband Fred were to Connor's Heroes when we began. They asked us to reach out to the pediatric patients who were isolated on the bone marrow transplant unit. Because of their suggestion, for more than 10 years, our volunteers have decorated the rooms of any child on the BMT Unit and we created the Room of Possibilities family room on the Unit. Barbara and Fred encouraged us as we worked with VCU Massey Cancer Center and Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU on funding for pediatric cancer research. Today, the Jamie Hess Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Research Fund and Connor’s Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund are the only ones in Richmond dedicated to supporting ground-breaking research in childhood cancer. We are lucky to have Barbara and Fred as our #HeroesofRVA.
We started with… a balloon
We started with a... balloon. When your child has cancer, you celebrate as much as you can. One celebration for our young heroes on the BMT unit is DAY ZERO! This is the day when your child receives new bone marrow/stem cells through a central line. We call it a SECOND BIRTHDAY. Erin surprises the child with a balloon and a plaque. Sometimes the staff and family sing happy birthday. It is an exciting moment, and fraught with emotion. Connor's Heroes earned the trust of the BMT staff and doctors, so that we could be on the unit to offer emotional an financial support. Through your volunteering, gifts and prayers, you show that no child should be alone. That makes you a hero of RVA. We're getting ready to announce how you can make a difference in the lives of children fighting cancer in our community. Are you ready?
We started with… a promise
We started with... a promise. Wow, here we are in 2013 celebrating the formal creation of the Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cancer Research with amazing support from the Children's Hospital Foundation and VCU Massey Cancer Center. The search began for an esteemed physician-scientist and we received naming rights for The Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund, with our commitment to donate at least $100,000 more! Our growing community of supporters didn’t waiver. You were driven by the stories of our brave heroes. Dr. Ginder, Dr, Rubin, and VCU Massey Cancer Center were with us every step of the way. We are at a crossroads in childhood cancer. Are you ready to take the next step??
9 Angels 9 Months
Yes, 9 angels over 9 months. With cancer, a child loses an average of 71 years of life, vs. an adult's 15 years. Cancer robs the world of children who would have been a class valedictorian, a teacher, a mom or a dad, a politician or a doctor - maybe the doctor who unlocks a breakthrough in cancer research. Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children. Every 3 minutes a child is diagnosed worldwide. Yet, the federal government only spends 4% of its funds on childhood cancer research. That 4% has stayed the same since Connor's Heroes started 10 years ago! With your help, we can make pediatric cancer a priority!
We started with… some tennis greats
We started with... some tennis greats. Thanks to James Blake, Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, and the Bryan Brothers, and our amazing corporate sponsor, Anthem, there is research in childhood cancer happening at VCU Massey Cancer Center. In 2007, Blake and Fish played in Richmond for the AnthemLIVE tennis challenge. The following year, Blake and Roddick took on the Bryan Brothers. Over $100,000 was directed to the Connor's Heroes Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. It was what we needed to jumpstart our campaign. We proved that Connor's Heroes was serious about childhood cancer research. Now, six years later, Richmond has Dr. Corey, a research oncologist in pediatric cancer. He is the first endowed chair named for pediatric cancer research in Richmond!
We started with a… song
We started with a... song. Connor absolutely loved Sam Bush and his music when he was going through treatment. Sam is the "King of Newgrass." He plays everywhere and with everyone, including Allison Kraus, Emmylou Harris and (gasp!) Taylor Swift. A cancer survivor himself, Sam was touched by Connor's story. He was even more amazed that Connor, at age three, knew the words to all his songs. Even now, he occasionally calls from the road to ask how Connor is doing. We know him as a friend. Connor still thinks of him as one of his heroes.
Much of what we know about treating adult cancers has been learned from childhood cancer research. Funding childhood cancer research will not only benefit cancer's youngest patients, like Connor and our Heroes currently in treatment, but also Sam and othera adults. Thank you to everyone who's made Dr. Corey and the research fund possible. Stay tuned to find out how you can help us reach an important milestone!
Check out this video of little Connor introducing Sam Bush at Music For Massey concert in 2009!
We started with a… check
We started with... $60,501.40. That was the first amount donated to VCU Massey Cancer Center strictly for childhood cancer research (after our opening grant of $10,000). I remember that moment. Steve and I, along with our board and passionate Hero parents, spent countless hours telling whoever would listen the story of Connor and the other children we met in the hospital. Our passion for making sure no child endures cancer was infectious. People donated. They wanted to help. I couldn't believe the amount we raised. Seeing that amount on that big check is very emotional. This year it's only going to get better! Thank you for being a part of our 10 year history. Because of you, more than 1000 families knew they did not have to face their children's cancer alone!
We started with a… parking pass
We started with... a parking pass. Parents tell us that Connor's Heroes "gets it." That's because we've been there. We know what it is like to navigate the infamous parking deck at the hospital. To wander the halls carrying a child who's too tired to walk after chemo. You bet, when Erin gives a parent a parking pass, she usually receives a hug in return. Same with a gift card for a decent cup of coffee and a nice lunch. Since our start, you've allowed us to spend time with a family. To get to know them. To understand how you can best help when you volunteer or give. Thank you.
We started with… a buddy!
We started with... a buddy. This is a photo of the early days of our Superheroes and Sidekick program. It's of Jillian with her hero, Mireya. Mireya was four years old when doctors diagnosed her with severe aplastic anemia. It was a life-threatening illness whose only cure was a bone marrow transplant. Jillian volunteered for our Superheroes and Sidekick program shortly after it started in 2010. Watching our hero families struggle with the ups and downs of a child with cancer, we realized that brothers and sisters are struggling too. We created the program so volunteers could be a buddy to all members of the family. Thanks to a grant from the Altria Companies Employee Community Fund, the idea became a reality. So far this year, our volunteers spent 220 fun-filled hours as sidekicks.
Funding for our Superheroes and Sidekick Programs allows us to train a volunteer as a buddy to a hero or his/her sibling. You commit to spending at least four hours a month with him or her doing fun things like going to the movies, a baseball game or spending an afternoon at the park. To volunteer in this wonderful program, tell us about yourself by filling out our application.
We started with… a backpack
We started with... a backpack. Connor gave out the first Heroes Backpack to his best friend, Owen. He filled it with toys, stuffed animals and many Legos - Owen's favorite! That one backpack launched our first program, Heroes Bags and Backpacks. We officially started in January 2007. Since then, you allowed us to give Heroes Bags and Backpacks to more than 1000 families who are in treatment at Children's Hospital of Richmond and with VCU Massey Cancer Center. With each one, I remember one of our first angels, Owen. He will always be a dear friend to my family. Thank you for allowing us to make sure that no child faces his/her cancer alone.