Ria Davidson & Christine Neitzke, Co-Founders of The Dragonfly Foundation
Christine & Jim Neitzke’s youngest son, Matt, was diagnosed with Stage 3A Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a form of cancer) in February 2010. They almost lost him twice due to complications. During this time, the Neitzkes were fortunate to have the support of family, friends and community. Ria Davidson, Christine’s friend of more than 20 years, was one of the people who helped the family through this terribly dark time.
“We were fortunate,” said Christine Neitzke. “We had people who dedicated themselves to making Matt and our family smile. We know that other kids and families are not as lucky.”
Ria Davidson added, “With so many kids and families suffering, we couldn’t look away.”
Both Christine and Ria, who cared for her mother-in-law until she passed away of brain and lung cancer, have experienced the challenges of managing the care of a patient with cancer, both in the hospital and at home. Seeing a need for families and hospitals to receive more support, they decided to form The Dragonfly Foundation in August 2010. Since that time, every effort has been made to enhance the patient experience, whether in- or outpatient.
Professionally, Christine and Ria bring to the organization a combined 50 years of award-winning communications and external relations consulting expertise. They have experience managing local, regional and national communications programs for clients in virtually every industry and market segment. Their experience in brand building and in managing public awareness, education and involvement projects has served The Dragonfly Foundation well.
Listen to Christine and Ria on The Dragonfly Effect Podcast Episodes 1 & 2.
For more information about their professional credentials, please refer to their individual LinkedIn profiles: