Alan's Hero Fund

It has been very important for us to find ways of remembering Alan and making a mark on the world in his name.

The simplest way is to do an act of kindness in Alan's memory. While the Kindness Project set their International Day of Kindness last Saturday as a unified day to act, you can do an act of kindness any time. If you choose, there are customized cards with Alan's name you can use.

We have been telling you about Alan's research fund at MD Anderson. Last month, we were so able to announce that the fund had been endowed and we will start giving out an annual grant from the Alan P. Sanders Pediatric Sarcoma Research Fund next June. Though we have established the fund, we can continue to add to the endowment so the grants can be bigger.

But as we hinted earlier when sharing about Harold's second shave of the year with St. Baldrick's. we have another way to remember Alan. St. Baldrick's is starting to set up Hero Funds, a way for families to honor and remember their Honored Kid with a permanent presence under the St. Baldrick's Foundation umbrella. And the great news is, thanks to all the support to our Alan's Angels team, Team Harris, our friend Patti Morfeld and Alan's fellow cancer warrior Gavin, the $10,000.00 needed to establish Alan's Hero Fund has already been raised!

With Alan's Hero Fund, anyone participating at any St. Baldrick's event can dedicate their fundraising to his fund (without taking away from their team or event totals - this is a secondary designation of the money). It also means that fundraising events other than head shaves can be done to raise money for pediatric cancer research in Alan's memory. Joseph Moore has already committed to using his half marathon this fall to raise awareness and money for Alan's fund!

How is the Hero Fund different from the Research Fund at MD Anderson? The money raised for St. Baldrick's is not invested - it is put directly into research. Just this summer, St. Baldrick's gave more than $22 million in 63 grants to research projects in 17 countries. While that is true with or without Alan's fund, establishing the Hero Fund allows us to direct money raised in Alan's name to fight the cancer that took Alan away from us too soon. Sarcomas are so rare and varied, they need every possible source of research.


Alan and Daddy - post shave, St. Baldrick's San Antonio March 2012

Acts of Kindness in Alan's Memory

May 2011, Alan feeds Kevin blueberries [video]

The MISS Foundation is a volunteer organization committed to providing C.A.R.E. - counseling, advocacy, research, and education- services to families experiencing the death of a child. The founder of the MISS Foundation started The Kindness Project as a way for families to honor their deceased child and to help themselves heal.



One of the reasons we want to create Alan's research fund at MD Anderson and his Hero Fund at St. Baldrick's is to keep his memory alive. The Kindness Project is another smaller but more personal way to do that. While July 27 is International Project Kindness Day, any day is a good to do an act of kindness in memory of a lost child. Alan's Uncle Duli has customized the printable cards from the MISS Foundation with Alan's name. If you are so inclined, please spread some kindness in Alan's memory, or in the memory of another beloved angel, and share your story and pictures.

Six months

Today marks six months since we lost Alan. It's been only a moment and it's been a lifetime. We will spend time together as a family today, in a park that Alan had enjoyed. Last week, Judy went with Lisa and Stephanie to take some of the books and toys donated by the 46 Mommas to our hospital, Methodist Children's. This was our first time back in the hospital since we came for the Beads of Courage Beads in Space tour last September, and due to the renovation, the first time back on the Ped/Onc floor since Alan went to MD Anderson last spring. It was startling to see things look so different and yet the same.

Seeing the staff that had known and taken care of Alan was bittersweet, but it was touching to see how many had remembered us, especially since it had been so long since Alan had been inpatient there.

This weekend, we wrote Alan's name in the sand. We were sad that we couldn't take him to the beach one more time but realistically, we know it would have difficult for him to be at the beach and not to be able to plunge right into the water. Seeing the waves come in and slowly wash his name away was hard feeling to process.








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[Thank you Russ and Denise for this wonderful slideshow of Alan's life]

Harold shaves with the 46 Mommas

After the local San Antonio event for St. Baldrick's in March, Judy started looking ahead to the national St. Baldrick's event for the 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave to be held in San Antonio at the end of June. One of the organizers was Lisa, another San Antonio mom who lost her daughter Rayley to a brain tumor. Rayley was an Honored Kid on the St. Baldrick's website and was chosen to be honored by Coda and Wyland when they first started shaving six years ago.  Coda and Wyland were the ones to introduce us to St. Baldrick's three years ago when they asked if they could shave in Alan's honor, and were ultimately responsible for us meeting Lisa.

Though the weather did not cooperate and we couldn't hold the event at the Arneson River Theater as planned, the shave went smoothly enough that we were able to include two groups of last-minute shavees. Harold jumped at the opportunity - he had thought the event was just for moms, and though the focus is on moms, there were plenty of siblings, dads, advocates, survivors and supporters both male and female joining the eponymous Mommas as Honorary Mommas shaving.


Before, During, and After Harold's Shave

It was a great opportunity to meet other cancer families, especially other Angel Moms. One was Carla, an almost 40-year survivor of childhood cancer who now fights for all the kids. She has a large collection of bracelets, to which has been added a Team Alan's Angels bracelet.


As one of the Mommas said, Carla bleeds gold

It was an amazing group of people, coming together from all over the US and Canada to fight childhood cancer. Some have been with the 46 Mommas through all four years of their campaign, some were first-timers like us. It was a wonderful community though, and one we look forward to being a part of going forward.

Stay tuned for word from Harold on what he plans to do with this bald head and other exciting news about our relationship with St. Baldrick's!


An amazing group!


Harold shaving


Kevin takes pictures of Harold shaving, thanks to the Pablove Foundation Shutterbug program


Kevin as a paparrazzo


Canadian Mommas!


Harold and Kevin with Miss Ginger, Lisa's mom, post-shave



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[video - Harold Shaves with the 46 Mommas 2013]