We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kathryn Millroy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Kathryn, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I am sharing my son’s story so he will always be remembered. Sean was brave & heroic in his efforts to find his own cure and advanced medicine for all childhood cancers. His legacy lives on through the foundation I have created in his memory. Kids on Carousels helps children with cancer and supports their families.
I hope I am remembered for being authentic, having an open heart & truly caring about others. I hope I am remembered for my smile and positive attitude. I hope I am remembered for my resilience & strength. I hope I am remembered for being a good mom to my 3 boys. I hope I am remembered as a teacher, a dedicated volunteer and now, founder of a non profit. I hope I am remembered for being a good person, always doing my best & never giving up. Action speaks louder than words. That is my legacy.

Kathryn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Kids on Carousels Foundation is a 501c3 non profit organization. We support children and families during diagnosis, treatment & afterwards. We honor superheroes fighting cancer.
We do it because of my son Sean. He was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma at 27 years old. He beat this cancer 4 times. But it came back a 5th time. He fought and advanced science and exhausted all possibilities and never gave up. Sadly, he passed away at 31 years old.
I am so proud of my son.
I am proud of the children’s book I wrote in his memory.
I am proud of my foundation.
I am proud to support other families and children as well as families who have lost a child to cancer. I am proud to raise awareness. I am proud that I have found a way to turn my grief into something positive.
We raise money through fundraising, sponsors, donations and sales of the book & merchandise. What sets us apart is that our story/experience gives us an understanding of what some of the needs are & how we can help ease their emotional/financial /burden. We hope to take away a small portion of their anxiety.
So many families experience loss of income for one parent. or they are forced to take a leave of absence while their child is going through treatment. Parents are usually the primary caregivers. There are so many extra expenses, travel, accommodation, if they are away from home base, that aren’t covered by insurance. I learned this through experience. Sean had the first few years of treatment close to his home, in Canada but then had to move to the US for a doctor specializing in his particular cancer. Not all cancer treatments are right next door, in your city. You have to pick up and find accommodations somewhere new.
This coming year, we hope to find new followers/brainstorm marketing strategies, and look for more local sponsors. We are based in Wilmington NC. This community has supported & embraced our foundation. It has been so inspiring getting to know people who I may never have met otherwise. I started with talking to my favorite shops, restaurants & places where I spend my time in the city. I told my story to one person at a time & everyone offered to help. They inspire me. They are creative and hard working and generous. I feel at home here & thank them for their warmth and generosity.
I hope to reach more children’s hospitals across the US and Canada. We started our donation of books at Cleveland Clinic, since that is where my son was treated & have sent the book and story to drs, nurses, social workers, child life specialists as well as grief centers. We hope to reach as many families as possible.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My son and I were living in Cleveland. We rented a condo that was a few blocks away from the Cleveland Clinic, where he was being treated for his cancer. As the cancer progressed, he had a tumor in his spine and had to have life-saving surgery. This surgery left him unable to walk. I was the one to care for and lift him from wheelchair to bed & bring him to his appointments.
I would push him in the wheelchair to his appointments since he couldn’t walk. It was progressively getting harder because the weather was getting cold, moving into winter. I did not have a car. We walked or took an Uber to his appointments, depending on how he felt. We would use the shuttle when we could but it didn’t get us all the way back to our condo. It was too difficult to take a Uber, physically move from the wheelchair into a car safely. I pushed myself & asked about how I could get the help I needed. I personally reached out to the director of transportation and told her that now that the weather was getting snowy, I really needed her help.. I didn’t want to fall and I certainly didn’t want my son in danger in the wheelchair after having spine surgery. I was his caretaker & I was at my physical limit of what I was capable of. She was an angel on earth. We did get the help we needed.. She really saved us. The transport van came to pick us up for every appointment & our driver was so lovely and caring. As a mom, I persevered & did whatever I had to do to take care of my son. But I had to ask & she had to answer my plea. I’ll never forget her and what she did for us. I am still in touch with her.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

My audience on social media is small but mighty. It is organic. I am reaching people by word of mouth. Sean was connected to so many people and shared his story on social media to inspire others. His goal was to cure the incurable & share his journey.
I am doing my facebook and instagram accounts myself. It was all new to me. It has been quite the learning curve for a boomer like me. It’s actually become much more enjoyable. I spend hours picking out the perfect music. My son was a songwriter and musician so that is the most important part to me, picking song clips. I take pride in doing it. I had some help early on while I was learning but then took it on myself. My boys told me I’m doing a really good job, they didn’t know it was all me.
It’s time to brainstorm & recruit some marketing advice & try to get new followers. I am looking to my connections & their expertise & if they have time to share insight. This was all new to me. I will have to ask my audience for help sharing on their platforms as well. I’d rather grow slowly so when it blooms, I am ready! I am looking forward to seeing what our second year brings. Onwards!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kidsoncarousels.com
• Instagram: @kidsoncarousels
• Facebook: Kids on Carousels Foundation
• Linkedin: Kathryn Millroy

Image Credits

@lillisummersmedia