TEXT Jenny Stickley
When Amy Jo and Jim Osborn lost their son Hatch to pediatric cancer at the age of nine weeks old, their lives changed completely. Here, learn how the couple turned their grief into a proactive foundation dedicated to helping others in the name of Hatch.
As Amy Jo Osborn and her husband Jim welcomed their first child into the world on August 15, 2006, they had no idea of the path on which their infant son, Austin Hatcher, would lead them. Just three-and-a-half short years later, the couple’s life is dramatically different and filled with purpose.
Amy Jo met Jim while working as a professional photographer on assignment for Southern Living. She was assigned to photograph Jim, an orthopedic surgeon and driver in the SPEED World
Challenge Series, with his Chili Pepper racing team at their annual fundraiser for pediatric cancer charities. While dating, Amy Jo embraced Jim’s passion for racing, culminating each year at Road Atlanta with an event attended by pediatric cancer patients who received VIP treatment during the Petit Le Mans race weekend. It was at that event in September 2006 that Amy Jo introduced her newborn son “Hatch” to their racing colleagues and friends they had made through the years hosting the fundraiser.
The following Monday, after returning home to Chattanooga, Amy Jo noticed Hatch was fussier than usual. The family pediatrician diagnosed Hatch with a minor stomach virus, but three days later, Amy Jo noticed Hatch’s left eye had deviated. Nervous and scared, Jim and Amy Jo rushed their baby to the emergency room. Throughout a 24-hour period, the medical staff performed numerous tests with inconclusive results, until an MRI revealed tumors on Hatch’s brain. “Jim came into the recovery room as I was holding Hatch, and I could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong,” says Amy Jo. “I just didn’t realize how wrong. Jim fell to his knees as he told me that Hatch had three large brain tumors, and we both broke down in tears.”
Hatch was immediately airlifted to the Children’s Hospital Cancer Center in Atlanta where his diagnosis was confirmed. He had a rare, aggressive and fatal form of pediatric cancer that had manifested itself not only in his brain, but had taken over his entire central nervous system. After doctors told Amy Jo and Jim that there was nothing they could do to save Hatch, the stunned new parents made the difficult decision to take their son home. Seven days later, nine-week-old Hatch passed away at home in Chattanooga, enveloped in his parents’ love. Although his life on earth was short, thanks to the love of his parents and their determination to make a difference, Hatch has made a huge impact on hundreds of pediatric cancer patients across the country.
Through a mother’s grief came a purpose, and the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer, also known as the Austin Hatcher Foundation for a Carefree Childhood, was born. The foundation’s mission is to equip families with the tools necessary to cope at the onset of cancer and provide them with the educational and emotional framework to lead healthy, successful lives. “We don’t treat the cancer, we treat the effects of the cancer on all the members of the family,” says Amy Jo. “The survival rate of pediatric cancer has increased to 80 percent, which is encouraging, but the rigors of treatment, its side effects and the financial and time investments that come with it cause tremendous strain on a marriage and family resources. Our goal is to empower families and children, and teach them the skills they need to deal with the effects of pediatric cancer.”
In an effort to help fund the foundation, Amy Jo formed “A Mother’s Arms,” an infant clothing line that donates all of its proceeds to pediatric cancer charities. She designs the clothes—onesies, day gowns and footed sleepers—and hand picks new soft pima cotton fabrics and trims each season. Along with managing the clothing line, Amy Jo has become well versed in the fundraising field, planning and hosting events as well as developing cause marketing strategies for the foundation and its business partners. During the three years since the loss of Hatch, she and Jim have also added two daughters to their family.
The Austin Hatcher Foundation began its work in the footprint of Amy Jo and Jim’s annual racing fundraiser. They developed a network of drivers on the American Le Mans Series circuit, which makes stops across the country during its season to visit local children’s hospitals and host events at the track for pediatric cancer patients and their families. Called “diversionary therapy,” the foundation provides the means and support for the families to escape from the daily struggles associated with pediatric cancer and enjoy time together. The program has been a huge success, and the foundation is now the official charity of the American Le Mans Series.
One of the foundation’s biggest accomplishments is the opening of Hatch’s House of Hope. The Chattanooga facility, designed to fulfill the goal of giving families the tools they need to cope, boasts a long list of services; among them are marital and financial counseling, testing and educational programming to help the affected child overcome cognitive and learning deficits that often arise after treatment, as well as emotional counseling for the entire family. Hatch’s House provides support for psychological and academic testing as well as for educational and emotional empowerment programs. The staff recently received Problem-Solving Skills Training (PSST) from leaders of the Children’s Oncology Group, one of only four facilities in the country to receive such instruction. Skills taught to parents through PSST have been proven to dramatically reduce stress and enable them to function more effectively. “We continue to add services designed to provide the tools to help the families cope, reduce stress, anxiety and depression and help give them a feeling of control and hope during this period of chaos,” says Amy Jo.
The Chattanooga house is the first of many the foundation plans to open across the country, and at the rate Amy Jo and Jim have turned the dreams inspired by their son into a reality, the Osborns are on a path to touching millions of lives.
For more information on the
Austin Hatcher Foundation or Hatch’s House of Hope, please visit
hatcherfoundation.org and
hatchshouse.org.
