Kim's daughter Campbell (or, as we know her, Soup!) was a hero at our 2013 Heroes Art Ball. If you've driven on 95, you've seen her beautiful smiling face on a billboard for Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. She's become an ambassador for the childhood cancer community in Richmond. We are proud to have her as part of the Connor's Heroes family. 

A lot of people describe the experience of having a child diagnosed with cancer as like a tornado. It was like that for me. When I was told that my daughter had leukemia, life started to spin out of control. Every routine my family once had was totally disrupted. We eventually found our new normal. While we were spinning, there were lots of people there to help. That was nearly four years ago. I often find myself wondering if I ever properly thanked those that helped the most. Connor's Heroes definitely deserves that thanks.
♦ Thank you for the backpack you gave us the day after my daughter's diagnosis. It was full of practical necessities for life in a hospital and sent a clear message that we were not alone in this scary, new world. We carried that backpack to every clinic trip we took for our three years of treatment.
♦ Thank you for faithfully serving lunch every Thursday on the 7th floor of the hospital as part of the Lunch Bunch. During long hospital stays, seeing a familiar face and eating an actual meal was more comforting than words can describe.
♦ Thank you for inviting our family to the circus. That outing was the first fun evening out of our house and the hospital that our family had since diagnosis. It helped us realize that we could still have fun.
♦ Thank you for sponsoring monthly art sessions with other families. They provide a time for my daughter to see “hospital friends” outside of that setting. Cancer kids share a very unique, strong bond.
♦ And lastly, a very heartfelt thank you to Lisa Goodwin. Thank you for not running far away from childhood cancer after your son finished treatment. (No one would have blamed you if you had.) Thank you for staying. Thank you for offering so much love, compassion, advocacy and energy to those of us with babies who are still fighting.
I am forever grateful for you.

2013 Heroes Art Ball