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Cindy
Kerr |
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Cindy Kerr
51 - Wayne, PA
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"Most cancer programs focus fittingly on finding cures with little done to help children and their families cope. When my son became sick and later passed away, I concentrated on doing something that helps kids and their families survive this terrifying experience."
When her young son, Ryan was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer, Cindy Kerr began making pillowcases to brighten his hospital room and make him smile. He loved the pillowcases, so she began making them for other pediatric cancer patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In 2008, Ryan lost his battle with cancer but the pillowcase project – now, a not-for-profit called ConKerr Cancer -A Case For Smiles – has grown in amazing ways.
Thanks to Cindy's efforts, ConKerr has grown from a kind act to an amazing organization, serving 48 hospitals. Today, ConKerr has given thousands of pillowcases to children with life-changing illnesses. Cindy has taught coordinators around the world how to start and lead the program. All this, while caring for her son through 15 surgeries, 32 months of chemotherapy, 150 sessions of physical therapy, and, sadly, six months of hospice care.
According to the National Cancer Institute, in the United States, in 2007, nearly 10,000 children were diagnosed with cancer and about 1,545 children will die from the disease. ConKerr Cancer has a simple, clear mission – to make life brighter for children with life changing illnesses and injuries. And in just three years, with a team of thousands of volunteers, ConKerr Cancer has delivered nearly 42,000 pillowcases to 35,000 sick children in U.S. hospitals, and established 41 chapters serving children in 48 hospitals and pediatric hospices in the U.S., Canada and South Africa.
ConKerr Cancer is a testament to the power of a simple idea, individual volunteers and partner organizations, and the reach of the Internet. It serves dozens of communities through a network of volunteer coordinators who manage their chapters recruiting volunteers, raising funds and delivering pillowcases. The organization is totally web driven, leveraging the speed and power of the internet to reach thousands of volunteers and, most importantly, to give smiles to sick kids.
That's why Cindy is a 2008
Woman Of Worth. |
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"I helps kids survive a terrifying experience."
Hear Cindy discuss her work
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ORGANIZATION
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