Art Heals The Soul
Connor’s Heroes Offers Art Sessions To Children With Cancer
Searching for “normal” when your child is diagnosed with childhood cancer can be found in unexpected places. For the Wilkinson family it was the Heroes Art Sessions offered by Connor’s Heroes.
At seven-years-old Anna Wilkinson was just about to begin second grade when she started complaining of headaches and stomach aches. Following several visits to the pediatrician’s office, Anna began having double vision. She was sent for a CT scan.
“I knew it was her brain,” says Anna’s mom, Cynthia.
The CT scan revealed a plum-size tumor in the middle of Anna’s brain. The news devastated her parents. The family was immediately sent to Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (ChoR). It was September of 2013.
One week after meeting with a pediatric neurosurgeon, Anna underwent surgery to completely remove the brain tumor. The surgery was a success, but what followed would be a testament to Anna and her parents’ ability to push through and overcome a diagnosis of Germinoma, a rare, slow-growing brain cancer that mostly affects children, teens, and young adults.
When Anna awakened from surgery, she could not speak, swallow, sit up, or move the right side of her body. She became septic and was given life-saving antibiotics. As her body recovered, Anna learned she would need to receive both chemotherapy and radiation to fight the cancer.
It was during this time that the Wilkinson family would connect with Connor’s Heroes.
Heroes Art Sessions Connected With Hero Families
Anna’s father, Bill, was with Anna in her hospital room when a representative with Connor’s Heroes came to visit, giving Anna a Heroes Backpack and her dad a Parent Tote.
“I was in disbelief that someone would just drop off a bag full of items that we would need while we were in the hospital,” states Cynthia. She says the family really appreciated the portable DVD player they received as it helped make the trips to and from ChoR as well as the waiting room times easier.
Being home presented its own challenges. Anna could not attend school, gymnastics, or church. She could not visit with her friends. “We felt very alone and isolated,” explains Cynthia.
Meanwhile, Connor’s Heroes was sending the Wilkinson family postcards, inviting them to events open to children receiving cancer treatment. The events and Anna’s ability to attend never matched up early on. Then the day arrived, after months of chemo, radiation, and doctor’s appointments, the Wilkinson family felt ready to attend one of Connor’s Heroes’ art sessions.
“Art was her favorite class in school and to see her light up over all the beautiful art supplies and blank canvases,” shares Cynthia. “She got to be with kids going through the same thing and looked like her (bald).”
Anna painted her favorite place: the beach. Seeing her paint that day and act “normal” for the first time in a long time brought relief and hope to Anna’s mom.
“She could be herself, be creative, be around other kids,” explains Cynthia. “As parents we started to be able to join a community unlike any other and be able to become vulnerable and share.”
Anna is now 20 and has shown no evidence of cancer since 2014. Treatments have impacted her ability to learn and process quickly, but that has not stopped her from living life to the fullest. Anna attends James Madison University (JMU), travels, exercises, reads, hangs out with friends, and is part of the DACC – Dukes against Childhood Cancer at JMU.
Connor’s Heroes has become a part of the Wilkinson family. They donate their time and money to support other families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis. Anna held a backpack drive for one of her birthdays instead of receiving gifts, and as she has gotten older, she now volunteers at the very Heroes Art Sessions that brought so much normalcy back to her family.
AUTHOR: Michelle Nunnally
This year marks 20 years that Connor’s Heroes has been a part of the community. Connor’s Heroes is dedicated to helping the families in Central Virginia cope with childhood cancer and our community’s researchers conquer it. Our mission is to build a community of heroes who provide hope, guidance, and support. 📲 Make a gift / 🦸 Support a Hero / 🧑🧑🧒🧒 Join us.
