February Volunteer of the Month

Love is in the air! Can you believe it is February already? Heroes for Children's big Valentine's project for families is underway. We are hosting an evening for the parents on Sunday, February 17th. With a catered dinner, parents will enjoy an evening away together to relax and enjoy a nice meal. Babysitting services, provided by Mom's Best Friend, will be on-site to provide free childcare for the parents. With all the stresses of having a child battling cancer, we know that a Valentine's dinner may be the last on their list. But we also know that they need this time to keep up with their relationships, enjoy adult interaction, and connect together. Hopefully, it will be a memorable evening for these very deserving parents!

Assisting us with the project is this month's Volunteer of the Month, Christie Cahoon. Christie was recently introduced to our organization this past Fall. We immediately hit it off, connecting with a mutual understanding of what it is like to have a loved one battling this horrible disease. Christie's sister underwent not one, but two different grueling bone marrow transplants to beat her leukemia.

Since getting involved with Heroes for Children, Christie has jumped right in! She was a co-captain for a Holiday Heroes team, helping us shop and wrap for one family. She is one of our awesome volunteers for this new Valentine's Dinner for HFC Families. I'm proud to announce that she has also accepted the position of the 2008-2009 HFC Friends Women's Auxiliary President!!

Christie--thank you so much!!!

Name, Age, Occupation:
Christie Cahoon, 33, wife and mother



How did you get involved with HFC?
I read about the organization after moving to Dallas in 2005. My friend, Lauren Thomason, has been involved with HFC and invited me to attend the HFC Friends Coffee this past fall. I was so impressed by what I learned about HFC at the coffee and knew I needed to get involved!



Do you have any kids and/or pets?
My husband and I have three kids – Claire is 4 years old, John is 3 years old and Anne is 18 months. We also have one dog, a Vizsla named Boo Radley, and a Beta fish named Sammy. Boo is 10 years old, and Sammy has been with us for about 7 months.



From looking at you, no one would guess that…..
I practiced corporate securities law prior to having children.



Favorite place to eat:
Oh how I love to eat out!! My very favorite has to be Hibiscus. I also love Taverna and Oishii.



What’s on your book shelf?
I recently finished Water for Elephants: A Novel by Sara Gruen. Right now I am reading Then We Came To The End: A Novel by Joshua Ferris. Next on my list is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky.



What’s in your iPod/CD changer?
My iPod is full of music I enjoy while running – a lot of Polyphonic Spree and also Bon Jovi, Wilco, U2, and Gwen Stefani. It is the only time that I am not listening to my children’s music!



Who’s your hero?
My sister, Lindy. She was diagnosed with leukemia in May of 1995 at the age of 17. She had two bone marrow transplants – the first in August of 1995 and the second in April of 1998. She is approaching the 10th anniversary of her second transplant and is now considered cured! The strength that she had throughout her entire illness and her positive attitude will always be an inspiration to me.