"When we made it to the 12th floor a spectacular view of the city greeted us. It took my breath away."
— Celia Tetlow Martin, Executive Director, Connor’s Heroes
Celia had a sneak peek into the Wonder Tower, the new inpatient children’s hospital, under construction downtown. Set to open in Spring 2023, the integrated children’s hospital will be the state-of-the-art facility our families need and dream of. Touring the site with Celia was Laura Markley (Connor’s Heroes Board Chair), Zach Isbell (Connor’s Heroes Board Member) and Marshall Lynch (mom to childhood cancer hero, Eleanor, and donor). Elias Neujhar (President of Children’s Hospital of Richmond) and Lauren Moore (President and CEO of Children’s Hospital Foundation) shared how The Wonder Tower will transform the care of children way beyond Richmond.
Zach is a VP at JLL, the company overseeing the project and gave everyone an insider’s view of the Wonder Tower:
“Being a part of the team delivering the new Children’s Hospital has been the opportunity of a lifetime. I see first hand the dedication and passion the team at Children’s Hospital has for crafting the spaces where they’ll deliver life-changing care for so many children. As a supporter and Board member at Connor’s Heroes I couldn’t help but think of how these spaces would allow our programs to grow and bring even more support to our families.”
Zach proudly showed where Connor’s Heroes five Rooms Filled With Hope will be on the hematology/oncology floor. Each room will help a hero family along their child’s cancer journey — starting with their child’s diagnosis, through treatment, and beyond.
“Showing Celia and my other Board members what these spaces will look like and how our hero families will access them has been one of the highlights of the project. It’s not every day I blend personal and professional passions. I couldn’t be more excited to share these spaces with everyone when they open in 2023.”
Zach’s excitement for the project carried over to Celia:
“When we made it to the 12th floor, a spectacular view of the city greeted us. It took my breath away. That’s when it hit me. Connor’s Heroes has been caring for childhood cancer families for 15 years. We were looking out to what is before us: a future full of unlimited possibilities.“
Back on the ground floor, Laura said:
“It was a thrill to see the dream coming to life under construction! Connor’s Heroes Rooms Filled With Hope will bring daily moments of hope to our heroes, as well as support and encouragement to staff and caregivers. This is a momentous and humbling opportunity for Connor’s Heroes to work alongside CHoR in reshaping and improving the experience our heroes, their families, and their medical caregivers have as they journey through childhood cancer.”
Thanks to the generosity of people like you, Connor’s Heroes is so close to hitting the goal of raising $250,000 to open the Rooms Filled With Hope. When you give to our campaign, you can help reach the final $25,000 needed to open these doors. Find out the wonderful things you can make happen when you give to our Rooms Filled With Hope Campaign: www.connorsheroes.org/rooms-filled-with-hope/
