YORKTOWN – The Wes Strong Foundation is working to provide comfort and dignity to children undergoing cancer treatment through a new initiative inspired by a young boy’s legacy.
Krista, founder of the Wes Strong Foundation and mother of Wes, recently launched the Wes’ Warrior Packs initiative, which delivers clothing essentials to pediatric cancer patients in hospitals.
“Wes Warrior Packs was something that I’ve wanted to do for quite a while now,” Krista said. “It’s a pack that will be delivered to local hospitals and potentially, hospitals beyond our local area.”
Each pack includes a pair of pajamas, clean underwear, and grip socks for children receiving treatment in pediatric oncology wards.
The idea came from her own experience while her son Wes battled neuroblastoma. “One of those issues is they run out of gowns in the children’s sizes while they’re currently going through treatment,” she said.
During Wes’ treatment, chemotherapy often caused sudden illness that required clothing changes.
“It would often cause him to vomit or have bowel movements unexpectedly,” Krista said. “And that would then lead to accidents. And when you’re in a hospital, you don’t always have extra changes of clothes.”
When that happened, children often had to rely on hospital gowns that didn’t fit properly.
“Most of the time, the gowns were adult sizes or they were for toddlers,” she said. “And my son at the time was around eight or nine years old. And, you know, it exposes the children. It takes away from their privacy.”
Krista said the packs are meant to restore comfort and dignity during an already difficult time.
“Our warrior packs allow them to have that bit of dignity and privacy that they’re deserving of during a really hard day,” she said.
The initiative officially launched earlier this week and has already received strong community support.
“We launched it this past Monday,” Krista said. “So far, we’ve had a great response. We’ve had over 100 comfort items purchased already.”
The program reflects the broader mission of the Wes Strong Foundation, which focuses on supporting children with cancer and their families.
“Our foundation has always wanted to be there for the kids and for the families personally during their experiences,” Krista said. “It’s taking the negative impact that cancer had on my life. You know, my son passed away and it’s turning that into a purpose.”
She said the initiative also honors the giving spirit Wes showed during his life.
“Wes was a very strong child who always wanted to give back,” she said. “And this program is a direct reflection of who he was and what he wanted out of life.”
Krista hopes the packs will ease small but significant stresses for families during long hospital stays.
“This will allow those families to have that little bit of relief, knowing that their child can still be comfortable while going through something really difficult,” she added.
The organization plans to distribute the packs first to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, with plans to expand to additional hospitals with pediatric oncology units, including VCU.
Starter shipments will include about 100 packs in various sizes to fit patients from young children to teenagers. Hospital staff will be able to request more when supplies run low.
Community support, Krista said, is essential to the effort.
“Community support is everything for our non-profit,” she said. “We are 100% volunteer-based. You know, we are solely dependent on individuals, donations in the community. Without them, we’re unable to help these families.”
People can support the initiative through the Wes Strong Foundation website or by donating items through the organization’s Amazon wishlist.
Krista said the long-term goal is to expand the program beyond the region.
“My hope is to eventually go to become a national thing, where we’re not just helping hospitals locally, but all over the United States,” she said.
Above all, she wants families facing pediatric cancer to know they are not alone.
“Honestly, I want them to know that they’re not alone,” Krista said. “You know, I understand their struggles. I’ve been there, and you know, it’s the little things that end up making a huge impact on these families that are going through treatment.”
Wes fought neuroblastoma from age 5 until shortly before his 13th birthday. Krista said everything the foundation does is rooted in his legacy.
“He was a local fighter who fought neuroblastoma from five years old until a month before he turned 13,” she said. “Everything that we do is because of him and what he wanted to accomplish.”
If readers remember one thing about the initiative, Krista said it should be the impact of small acts of kindness.
“Supporting our initiative is just a simple comfort that can restore the dignity during a really hard time for our smallest of patients,” she said.
To learn more or to donate, visit wesstrong.org.
