Austin Hatcher Osborne lived for just over two months in 2006, yet he did more with his brief time on Earth than some people accomplish over decades. The impact the little bundle had was so powerful that five years after he drew his last breath, the ripple effect of his life is still growing strong. In September, people in Chattanooga will have an opportunity to give hope to children who are facing the same fate.
Austin died from pediatric cancer. His illness appeared suddenly and unexpectedly when he was seven weeks old, and 11 days later, his life ended. Ironically, his parents, Jim and Amy Jo Osborne, had for years raised money for pediatric cancer through the dad’s racing activities. The tragic loss of their son galvanized their efforts, and they formed the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer to fight the disease that had taken him from them. By 2009, the Osbornes had raised enough money to launch Hatch’s House of Hope, a pediatric cancer care center in Chat-tanooga that provides valuable services to children and the families of children diagnosed with the disease.
Since then, the foundation has become the official charity of racing events across the country, and awareness of its existence has grown internationally. In addition, Austin Hatcher is preparing to roll out services in Birmingham, Ala., this fall. Amy Jo is grateful for the support. “People told me positive things would come out of what happened. At the time, when Austin was passing, it was hard to see, but it’s amazing looking back and seeing how many families have given us the opportunity to help so many other families,” she says.
Hatch’s House of Hope does not treat cancer, but the effects of cancer. Professional therapists provide marriage and financial counseling to parents, grief counseling is made available to every member of a family, and art and music therapy help cancer patients and their siblings to express emotions that are difficult to put into words. “It’s hard to get children to verbalize their feelings, but through art and music therapy, they show their emotions without knowing it,” Amy Jo says. Hatch’s House of Hope also offers comprehensive psychological and educational evaluations to track the effects of cancer and cancer treatments on a child.
“We’re not a crisis center, we’re a prevention center, so we like to do a neurocognitive assessment at diagnosis to see where the child is, and then re-evaluate at six, nine, 12 and 36 months so we can determine the origin of any deficits that occur, whether it’s radiation, chemo or something else,” Amy Jo says. Hatch’s House of Hope offers its services without cost to any family with a child with cancer. There’s no charge to clients at any point, so the clinic doesn’t have to deal with insurance companies, qualification formulas, or red tape. While this makes things easy on Austin Hatcher’s clients, it means the foundation must rely on donations to fund its operations.
To raise money, Austin Hatcher on September 24 will host its third annual Celebration of Life and Hope. Featuring food, specialty cocktails, live entertainment, and a live and silent auction, the event will take place at The Space at Warehouse Row beginning at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $100 per ticket. Amy Jo says guests should come in cocktail attire and be prepared to have a good time. SwissAm Catering will be providing heavy hors d’oeuvers, Patron Spirits will be serving the drinks at an open bar, and a cover band called Peace, Love & Happiness will be cranking out tunes.
The auctions should prove to be just as memorable, as the foundation has collected items bidders would be unable to get anywhere else, including handwritten song lyrics by Amy Grant and Vince Gill, a catered boat cruise for six, and one week’s use of an Aston Martin. (Sorry, ladies, James Bond does not come with the car.) “We limited the auction to eight silent and eight live items. We didn’t want the event to be about the auctions, but about telling people where their money will be going,” Amy Jo says. Benefactors will be able to watch a video about how Austin Hatcher will spend their donations and learn about the foundation’s mission to open a Hatch’s House of Hope in every city in which there’s a children’s hospital. “We want to be able to provide our services to every family, no matter where they go to get treatment,” Amy Jo says.
To purchase tickets to Celebration of Life and Hope, visit www.hatcherfoundation.org and click on the event banner located beneath the site menu. Facebook and Twitter links are included for people who want to let others know about the event.