A Generation
of Impact
Voices from 27 Years of Spreading Hope and Brightening Futures for Children with Cancer
Fund innovative research
to drive medical breakthroughs
in pediatric cancer
Bring medical leaders together
to advance treatments
and survivorship
Increase awareness & advocacy
to help every child fight cancer
Where Are They Now?
Former Ambassadors Share Their Journeys
Ambassador 2019
Hannah
Hannah Adams finds power in her story. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 nephroblastoma, a softball-sized tumor on her kidney, at age 5. After arduous radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery, Hannah was cancer free. Selected as a Hyundai Hope on Wheels National Youth Ambassador in 7th Grade, she traveled the country, appearing on a billboard in Times Square.
Ambassador 2015
Ashley
Two days before starting 2nd grade, Ashley Burnette’s life transformed. She was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a cancer of the nervous system, and would later learn of a second cancer in her lymph nodes, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Over the next two years, Ashley underwent 15 surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation, and a stem cell transplant. These taxing treatments were hard on her still-growing body. “Enduring such rigorous treatments at such a young age impacts your body long after remission, ” Ashley said. “The long-term health effects are still something I deal with in my life today.”
Ambassador 2008
Brianna
At just 9 years old, Brianna Commerford’s world was upended by a diagnosis no child should face: Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. One moment she was a fourth grader cheering at practice, the next she was fighting for her life, enduring aggressive adult chemotherapy with frightening side effects. But even in the darkest moments, she remembers a bright spot: a visit from Hyundai Hope on Wheels. What began as one of her sickest days in the hospital turned into a life-changing connection. “I almost didn’t make it to that event, ” Brianna recalls. “But somehow I did, and I’ve been involved with HHoW ever since.”
Ambassador 2002
Sammy
Education was always Sammy Heim’s anchor: At 8 years old, she was a bubbly, smart, curious girl preparing to enter her school’s gifted program alongside her friends. Everything changed when she was diagnosed with a soft tissue tumor called Rhabdomyosarcoma just before 3rd grade—one of the scariest experiences a child can have. Early in her treatment, Sammy questioned the fairness of it all, wondering, “Why me?” But the more she looked around, she realized that she wasn’t alone: The “me” was really “us.”
Be A Part of the Story
Join us and become an Ambassador of Hope for kids fighting cancer. Every supporter helps drive life-saving breakthroughs and brings us one step closer to a healthier future for all children
