Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellie Hite.
Hi Ellie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
When I founded AngelWorks in 2004, it did not have anything to do with childhood cancer. It was only ever intended to be a Christmas program to anonymously surprise families that had a child or parent with a life-threatening illness or injury with a complete Christmas. Then, one day in 2012, I was driving to work and received a call from a young man named Joe Friend. The voice on the other end of the phone explained that he had Osteosarcoma and was now terminal. He had endured multiple surgeries, including having one of his leg amputated and many rounds of treatment. Each time that he would beat the monster, it would return. Now, he was out of treatment options. He explained that he knew his family had no more reserved funds to pay for his funeral, and he didn’t want to die, leaving them with that burden. At that time, I was definitely not qualified to have that type of a conversation with a young person, and I was stumbling for words. Joe actually said at one point, “It’s OK, Ellie; I know I am dying; you don’t have to tip-toe around it.” He shared that someone that his mom worked with gave him my number and said that I might know someone that could help. The next evening, I met Joe and his family for dinner to meet him in person. I immediately fell in love with this kid! He had this amazing quality that I noticed immediately. I have since learned that EVERY child I have ever met with cancer shares with incredible quality. I do not have an adjective to adequately describe this unique specialness that I have learned to notice. I like to believe that this special quality is a God-given fail switch that allows these kiddos to get through the awfulness that they face with such amazing strength, grace, and concern for others around them. Perhaps I am just kidding myself and need to believe that to do what I do, but every childhood cancer warrior that I have ever met shares with quality, and I have never noticed it in adults with cancer.
We spent the last months of Joe’s life going to high schools, radio stations, and churches to allow Joe to share his story and share the unfairness in childhood cancer statistics. I was appalled by the statistics that I learned. So much so that I had to research it myself because I thought that Joe was confused. Sadly, he was not. Before Joe passed, he asked if I would keep doing what he started. I already had AngelWorks, so we changed our bylaws to focus on helping kids with cancer.
I know that Joe would be so happy to see us helping so many kids and their families each year!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
AngelWorks currently has 8 programs in place to help families with a child battling cancer. When he started being asked to help cover the cost of funerals, after each funeral, I would announce to my friends and family that I would not continue to be involved in kids’ funerals. It is hard… One day at work, I announced that I refused to pay for another child’s funeral. I did not know how I had gotten on that path, but I insisted that I was jumping off the path and was throwing in the towel. The next day, a girl in the community that I live in died the day after her 11th birthday from Leukemia. Obviously, I wanted to help her family. After her funeral, I knew that I was put on that path for a purpose, and I needed to forge forward and make paying for funerals one of our programs. That little girl’s name is McKenna Maille, and our funeral fund is now named after her. We currently pay for an average of three funerals every month. Our other programs are “happier,” but there is nothing that we could do that is more impactful to help a family than to be there for them in their darkest moment and help them plan and pay for their child’s funeral.
Besides being emotionally draining, funerals are expensive. It is difficult to keep funding for funerals because we spend it as quickly as it comes in to continue paying for funerals. I am always stressing over raising funds for our funeral program! We are always looking for individual donors, corporate sponsors, or events to help raise money.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The AngelWorks Foundation is a registered 501c3 that raises awareness and funds for kids with cancer. It is my passion. My life’s purpose. We have 8 programs in place to assist families.
• AngelWings – funds an average of 3 funerals and Celebration of Life services each month
• AngelParty – celebration upon finishing treatment
• AngelWish – funds family getaways for children who have relapsed
• AngelFund – assisting with cost-of-living expenses for parents
• AngelPics – professional family portraits in a fun picnic setting
• AngelSupport – a grief camp and support group for families that lost a child to cancer
• AngelTalks – Advocating for kids with cancer. Ellie speaks at numerous local events each year to raise awareness and is open to any invitation!
• AngelClaus – provides a complete Christmas for families with a child battling cancer or that lost a child to cancer.
I believe what sets us apart from other foundations is our compassion. We are “boots on the ground” and truly jump in the trenches with the families while their child is battling cancer. When a child passes, we don’t just write a check. I often go to the funeral home with the family and work hard to create a perfect celebration of life for their child. We interact with the families and provide emotional support, not just financial support. It would be easier to sit behind a desk and just write checks, but these families are facing the unimaginable. The parents are facing burying their child, and they need someone to help hold them up.
Everyone likes to think that childhood cancer is like a St. Jude commercial. Giggle bald-headed children running down a hospital hallway with their IVs in tow. That is not the reality of childhood cancer. The reality is dark, scary, and ugly.
AngelWorks also works legislatively, trying to create legislative change to help get additional funding for childhood cancers research. Currently, all childhood cancers share only 4% of our federal cancer research funding. Essentially, all childhood cancers share about $195 million in research funding. There are 12 major childhood cancers and hundreds of subclasses. That equates to about $16,250,000. While that seems like a lot of money at first glance, it isn’t enough in the cancer research world to accomplish what is needed for our kids. To make some comparisons, Americans spend about 8 BILLION dollars on potato chips each year. Potato chips! We spent $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts. Americans spend around $343 billion on coffee each year. Our kids deserve more. Because we are giving our kids outdated treatments, 85% of children currently in treatment will have a life-altering condition later in life due to their treatment. It is our goal to help change those statistics for the better and help our kids have a better chance at living.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Taking the first steps are scary. But if you are passionate about what you do, take the jump!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.myangelworks.org
- Instagram: AngelWorks_official
- Facebook: AngelWorks
- Linkedin: AngelWorks
- Twitter: @AngelWorks
Image Credits
Brittany Walters
