Our Stories

Cecelia Sonneberg knows that she’s sick.  Some days she can barely eat or move.  But this spirited 4-year-old doesn’t let the “canker sore in her eye” keep her down.  Last January, Cecelia was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer of the eye.  Every three to four weeks she travels over 1,200 miles round trip for an eye exam under anesthesia, laser treatment and chemotherapy.  She has lost some weight.  Her hair is gone.  But she’s fighting the cancer – and beating it – with every ounce of strength in her little body.  The treatment is expensive.  The travel costs add up.  So when Sheila, Cecelia’s mom, received help from the Hope Fund she was amazed and beyond grateful.  “I work part-time and I’d only been with HCA for six months when Cecelia was diagnosed.  I thought, ‘Why would they do something for me?’ It just goes to show that work is more than work.  I’m part of a family.”