Hilary's Story...
Hilary Bonn was born on November 22, 1983, and had just graduated from high school when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
The family’s insurance would cover the cost of a needed stem cell transplant, but not the search for a donor. The initial cost for testing a potential donor ran between $1,500 and $2,000. As this far exceeded anything the family could pay, family and friends held fund-raisers to help and the Bonns requested assistance from the Leukemia Society.
After finding a compatible donor and completing a transplant, Hilary was determined to do something for others with the gifts that had been given to her. Her pastor suggested creating a benevolence fund that could be used to help those in need of travel, food, and lodging expense. Hilary loved the idea, and so it began.
The fund began with money received from various fund-raising events and other donations, and continues with donations from supportive friends like you and proceeds from the sale of Love, Jan. Written by Hilary’s mother, Jan Bonn, the book is a journey “of faith tested, of love expressed, and of devotion and dedication to family” as told through e-mails sent to keep family and friends informed on Hilary’s fight against leukemia 300 miles from home.
Hilary died on January 28, 2005, after a three-year battle with leukemia, but her loving and generous spirit lives on in the Hilary Bonn Benevolence Fund. The Eagle Valley Community Church supervises stewardship and administers the fund with a volunteer administrative board. As there are no administrative costs, all funds raised are available for those who need it. Donations are welcome and may be given as memorials or honorariums.