Close Menu
  • Home
  • Holiday Loops
  • Advertise with Us
  • About & Contact
  • Good News
  • Get Involved
  • Podcast
  • Support Us

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest good news and other great things from STN.

What's Hot

Boy Given 1% Chance of Survival Walks 5k for Hospital That Saved Him–After Air Rifle Shot to the Head as Baby

June 30, 2025

Taking a Summer Break – Thank You for All the Support!

June 30, 2025

Check Out the Events this Weekend, June 27-July 7 Weekends in the Mahoning Valley

June 27, 2025
Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
Spanning the Need: Good News, Inspiring, the Uninspired.
Subscribe Login
  • About
    • About & Contact
    • Advertise with Us
    • Legal
    • Vote
  • Holiday Loops
  • Podcast
  • Good News
  • Get Involved
  • Events
  • Support Us
Spanning the Need: Good News, Inspiring, the Uninspired.
Home » Good News » Faith, Love and Resilience: Give Kids The World Alumni Wish Family The Heinrichs Pay It Forward After Mother, Son Overcome Critical Illnesses
Community & Activism

Faith, Love and Resilience: Give Kids The World Alumni Wish Family The Heinrichs Pay It Forward After Mother, Son Overcome Critical Illnesses

STN StaffBy STN StaffMarch 15, 2023Updated:March 15, 2023No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp VKontakte Email
Military family the Heinrichs will join reality TV stars and donors participating in Give Kids The World Village's Gingerbread Run on Saturday, February 11, to raise funds for wishes. Both Brody and his mom, Tawnya, survived critical illnesses before Brody's 2020 wish trip to the Village, an 89-acre nonprofit resort in Central FL that provides critically ill children and their families with life-changing week-long wish vacations at no cost. Register for the Gingerbread Run: https://www.gktw.org/
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Three years after staying at Give Kids The World Village during his battle with craniosynostosis, Brody Heinrich and his parents returned to the storybook nonprofit resort – this time it was to pay it forward to other families facing critical illnesses. The Heinrichs joined alumni wish families, reality TV stars and donors in raising funds for the Village during the 2023 Gingerbread Run this past February, when participants ran, roll or stroll a 5K through the 89-acre resort to raise funds for wishes.

Military family the Heinrichs will join reality TV stars and donors participating in Give Kids The World Village's Gingerbread Run on Saturday, February 11, to raise funds for wishes. Both Brody and his mom, Tawnya, survived critical illnesses before Brody's 2020 wish trip to the Village, an 89-acre nonprofit resort in Central FL that provides critically ill children and their families with life-changing week-long wish vacations at no cost. Register for the Gingerbread Run: https://www.gktw.org/
Military family the Heinrichs will join reality TV stars and donors participating in Give Kids The World Village’s Gingerbread Run on Saturday, February 11, to raise funds for wishes. Both Brody and his mom, Tawnya, survived critical illnesses before Brody’s 2020 wish trip to the Village, an 89-acre nonprofit resort in Central FL that provides critically ill children and their families with life-changing week-long wish vacations at no cost. Register for the Gingerbread Run: https://www.gktw.org/
After 17 surgeries during his treatment for craniosynostosis, Brody Heinrich had his wish fulfilled at Give Kids The World Village - an 89-acre nonprofit resort that provides critically ill children and their families with magical week-long dream vacations at no cost. Brody and his mom, Tawnya, who also survived a critical illness, will pay it forward to other wish families by participating in GKTW's Gingerbread Run at the Village on Feb. 11. Register for the Gingerbread Run https://www.gktw.org
After 17 surgeries during his treatment for craniosynostosis, Brody Heinrich had his wish fulfilled at Give Kids The World Village – an 89-acre nonprofit resort that provides critically ill children and their families with magical week-long dream vacations at no cost. Brody and his mom, Tawnya, who also survived a critical illness, will pay it forward to other wish families by participating in GKTW’s Gingerbread Run at the Village on Feb. 11. Register for the Gingerbread Run https://www.gktw.org

The Gingerbread Run marks a long road toward recovery for Brody and his mom, Tawnya. Brody’s health struggles began at just three days old with recurring infections, progressing to excruciating headaches. Years of late night ER visits and endless tests yielded only skepticism; two-year-olds, they were told, don’t get headaches. “My mother’s intuition knew something wasn’t right; I kept fighting for my son,” says Tawnya, an EMT. As she and husband Nick, a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, continued their relentless pursuit for answers, Tawnya was dealt a devastating blow; a chance exam led to a diagnosis of her own, renal cell carcinoma.

Participation in Special Olympics Linked to Reduce Risk of Depression Among Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

In the midst of Tawnya’s cancer treatment, a CT scan of Brody’s brain at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego revealed a severe case of craniosynostosis requiring emergency surgery. Just after his third birthday, Brody underwent the first of three major surgeries to reconstruct his skull in a series of 17 surgeries to combat seizures, tumors and a secondary diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos syndrome, an aggressive connective tissue disorder. Through it all, Brody’s radiant smile, infectious laugh and caring disposition melted the hearts of everyone he encountered. “He is the most fearless, loving and thoughtful person I know,” says Tawnya. “He kept all of us going.”

In 2017, Tawnya’s cancer returned. Nine years old now, Brody grasped what he had been too young to understand during Tawnya’s first bout with cancer. “It’s my turn to take care of mom,” he told his dad, and that’s just what he did – doing all of the things in the hospital for Tawnya after her surgery that she had done for him so many times before. One year later, with Tawnya in remission, Nick deployed to Iraq for a fourth time… and Brody’s health took a turn for the worse. This time, Tawnya and Brody faced the medical gauntlet alone. Persistent seizures led to the discovery of intracranial pressure in the fatal range. As he awaited life-saving surgery, Brody learned that his wish to visit Give Kids The World Village had been granted. “Knowing he would be going to Give Kids The World gave him something to look forward to… a reason to push through,” says Tawnya. Two days later, on his 11th birthday, Brody underwent his most complex brain surgery yet – and the headaches stopped.

NASA Launches Collaboration with Industry Partners, Cleveland Schools

In early March 2020, Brody and his parents arrived at Give Kids The World Village, an 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides critically ill children and their families with life-changing week-long wish vacations at no cost. Every family is treated to transportation; accommodations; donated theme park tickets; all meals and snacks; nightly entertainment; daily gifts; and non-stop fun on the Village’s wheelchair accessible rides and attractions. “This was an adventure of a lifetime for all of us,” says Nick. “Brody was overjoyed; he was able to be a kid with no worries in the world – something he fought so hard for. The Village is truly a magical place for these children who fight big battles.”

This past February, the Heinrichs celebrated both mother and son in remission by participating in the Gingerbread Run to make it possible for other wish families to experience joy, optimism and hope at the Village. The Gingerbread Run is being sponsored in part by Experience Kissimmee. For information about Give Kids The World, visit www.gktw.org.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Previous ArticlePath and J. Chad Parker Partner Holiday Matching Gift Campaign a Success
Next Article POTW: Julia Anderson, John F. Kennedy Catholic School
STN Staff

    Related Posts

    By STNJune 30, 2025 Community & Activism

    Taking a Summer Break – Thank You for All the Support!

    By STN StaffJune 26, 2025 Business & Finance

    Honoring Athena Nominees for 2025: Paula Baco, Rachael Dobson and Patricia Summers

    By STN StaffJune 24, 2025 Business & Finance

    Honoring Athena Nominees for 2025: Tifinie LaComb, Traci Miller and Trinette Simon

    By STN StaffJune 19, 2025 Business & Finance

    Honoring Athena Nominees for 2025: Melissa Crown, Mallory Capretta and LeeAnn Oros

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest good news and other great things from STN.

    Demo
    Recent Posts
    • Boy Given 1% Chance of Survival Walks 5k for Hospital That Saved Him–After Air Rifle Shot to the Head as Baby June 30, 2025
    • Taking a Summer Break – Thank You for All the Support! June 30, 2025
    • Check Out the Events this Weekend, June 27-July 7 Weekends in the Mahoning Valley June 27, 2025
    • Honoring Athena Nominees for 2025: Paula Baco, Rachael Dobson and Patricia Summers June 26, 2025
    • Man Is Overwhelmed with Emotion Trying Color Blind Glasses for First Time–‘My God. This is Amazing’ (WATCH) June 25, 2025
    Follow Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Don't Miss
    News

    Boy Given 1% Chance of Survival Walks 5k for Hospital That Saved Him–After Air Rifle Shot to the Head as Baby

    By STNJune 30, 202502 Mins Read

    A boy who nearly died after he was shot in the head as a baby…

    Taking a Summer Break – Thank You for All the Support!

    June 30, 2025

    Check Out the Events this Weekend, June 27-July 7 Weekends in the Mahoning Valley

    June 27, 2025

    Honoring Athena Nominees for 2025: Paula Baco, Rachael Dobson and Patricia Summers

    June 26, 2025

    Man Is Overwhelmed with Emotion Trying Color Blind Glasses for First Time–‘My God. This is Amazing’ (WATCH)

    June 25, 2025
    Newsletter

    Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube
    • Home
    • About & Contact
    • Advertise with Us
    • Good News
    • Events
    © Copyright 2025. STN | Spanning the Need. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy & Legal Disclaimer. Website design by Gallagher Website Design

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?