Little Reef, his parents, and sister left their home and family in South Africa to find treatment for his aggressive form of leukemia. The first stop on their treatment journey was Los Angeles, CA, where Reef had a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, he developed a severe complication, graft versus host disease, where his immune cells attacked not only the cancer, …
“Thank you SO much for E’s Thomas the Train gifts today. After a long day in the hospital under anesthesia, Evan came home tired and sore. When he saw he had a package and what was inside, it completely changed his demeanor. I have never seen him so excited on these hospital days. It brought tears to this mama’s eyes. …
“From a Dragonfly Mom: “T told us tonight that he loves Dragonfly because he can see Aladdin ice skating in Dragonfly’s “little house” with the couch he can rest on.” *The “little house” he is referring to is our Dragonfly Suite at US Bank Arena. [Dragonfly also has another patient/family space near Mason, OH (we refer to it as “The …
A reminder to err on the side of kindness: Over the weekend, a Dragonfly family with 4 young kids, one of whom has cancer, went to East Fork to do some early trick-or-treating at a special event. To make taking them easier, J, the patient and oldest child, suggested putting the 3 younger kids in his wheelchair, while he would …
Want to appreciate the ocean? Go there with a cancer patient who may be seeing it for the last time. Dreading your next birthday? Sit and listen to a cancer patient talk about her next birthday party that she may not get to have. Think dance recitals are a hassle? Go with a parent whose child was released from the …
From a Dragonfly Mom Who Wrote About Her Inspiration For The Painting in the Picture: When I attended a fundraiser for The Dragonfly Foundation, I had the awesome experience of learning how to paint a dragonfly. Later, at home, I decided to paint other another canvas, but with two dragonflies. The first dragonfly I painted blue in honor of my …
“When a social worker suggested Dragonfly and told me that they did lots of fun activities, I thought I would never have another day of fun in my life and neither would my child. However, I joined for my child’s sake, thinking she needed support outside the family. Dragonfly has done so much for our family! I’ve found support not …
From a Dragonfly Mom: “I wanted to thank you all for the joy you’ve brought us! “A” will be going home from Cincinnati Children’s to hospice care today. He will have good days and bad days. As I sat with hospice to discuss the beauty of transitioning from this earthy life to the next stage of life, “A” joyfully played …
Reprinted with permission from a Dragonfly Mom: “A few weeks ago, I met a woman who shared her story with me. Her younger brother was diagnosed with a brain tumor 35 years ago, when she was also a young child. He was treated with surgery and chemo and has survived. As she fought back her tears, her emotional scars were …
(PLEASE SHARE!) On September 29, 2015, The Dragonfly Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit, held a news conference at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The video describes the announcement, and provides insight into how Dr. John Perentesis, Director of Oncology, Cincinnati Children’s Cancer & Blood Diseases Institute, and Marty Brennaman, a Dragonfly Board Member & Spokesman, regard The Dragonfly Foundation and the …
