Selflessness and courage comes to my mind when I hear the word hero. Some heroes come to light because of a single act and others by quietly living their daily life in the service of others. The latter best describes my hero- Patti Luttrell and here’s why: As a pediatric nurse for nearly thirty years, Patti knew what it took to care for a sick child long before she was faced with taking care of her own son Jeff when he was diagnosed with cancer (leukemia) at age 7. As Patti and her family helped Jeff wage his war on this disease, they witnessed many family’s heartbreaking difficulties throughout treatment. One family in particular stood out as sadly they were forced to deal with the passing of their little girl. This family not uncommonly, had experienced severe financial difficulty throughout the course of their daughter’s battle and on that final day, devastatingly found themselves unable to put together the money to put gas in their car to get home. While thankfully the outcome of Jeff’s treatment was positive, that poor family and the purest form of selflessness inspired Patti and her family to form a non profit organization called the Children's Cancer Network. Patti and her volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that no family fights the battle alone. CCN's mission is to provide financial, educational and psychosocial support to children and families that have been stricken with cancer. Lots of info about the wonderful work this all volunteer organization does can be found by visiting the website- www.childrenscancernetwork.org. Patti’s commitment to community and family is unwavering. She works tirelessly to lead CCN volunteers in the execution of it's programs and to raise the funds necessary to serve these deserving children and their families- - all while holding down a full time job as an assistant nursing professor and continuing to care for Jeff who has had many reoccurring cancer diagnosis’s over the course of the past eight years. She possesses a gracious spirit, remarkable inner strength, empathy and determination. Patti simply put is the perfect example of selflessness. She truly is a hero and an inspiration to us all !

Signed,
Diana Shaw