Meet Our Moms

Kenon Neal and her husband Matt adopted each of their precious children, Tanner (18), Luke (14) and Aliza Grace (11) when they were infants. Kenon enjoyed homeschooling each of her boys to accommodate their special learning needs. Kenon began the Kids Cancer Network, an outreach to children with cancer, which published  The Funletter, an activities magazine mailed out to 6,000 locations around the world with the purpose of connecting with these lonely kids. Kenon also was instrumental in writing grants for scholarships and programs at Westmont College.

Kenon faced cancer 5 times since the age of 21. She had Hodgkin’s while attending Westmont in Santa Barbara, CA, and received a bone marrow transplant three years into her marriage. She suffered premature menopause at age 26.  At 40 she was diagnosed with breast cancer caused by the radiation for Hodgkin’s. She endured more treatment, a mastectomy and chemotherapy. Six years later, in 2012, she received news of stage 4 esophageal cancer. Through heavy treatments of chemo, targeted radiation, ablation to the liver, kidney, brain and stomach, Kenon held tightly to her love for God and trusted Jesus for each day He gave her.

Dec. 8, 1965–July 16, 2014

September 13,1969 – August 29, 2014

Angie Harrison often feels as if she is living in a nightmare. In 2009 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Following doctors’ orders, she underwent two surgeries and 17 rounds of chemo. Assurance that she was in remission, Angie began once again enjoying life. She began running and training for a 10K—a survivor—and acknowledged that God was her healer. She was determined to not let cancer win. However, in November of 2013 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Triple Negative Breast Cancer that had reappeared in her lungs. So the decision was made to embrace quality—not quantity—of life and allow God to be the ultimate healer. But until then, she knows the care and concern of a few people really can make a difference in the middle of endless hopelessness. A friend nominated her to be a recipient of Ally’s Wish.

Angie comments on anticipating her Wish: “I get to go with my husband and our 3 children to Disney World. We can go—together. I cannot say thank you enough. I look most forward to seeing the face of my 8-year-old light up as she gets to see and do things she’s only dreamed of… and my older kids as they escape some of the reality that’s too much for any of us to have to face. Last, but not least, I look forward to some quiet moments with my husband and the father of my children.”

Angie Harrison – Disneyworld

October 15, 1975–July 11, 2014

Allyson Hendrickson, our inspiration and namesake, is a proud mom of three sons. You can read her personal testimony here, and read of her incredible journey through life, motherhood, and cancer at her highly-followed blog “My Three Sons.”

Allyson’s wish was to have her blog published, and we presented the first version, the blog in its entirety, to Allyson on Friday, April 18, 2014. Read the story published by the Dallas Morning news here.

Allyson finished her battle with cancer on July 11, 2014. Her legacy will live on in our hearts forever.