Yesterday, January 5, 2025, would have been Drew’s 23rd birthday. As difficult as it’s been, looking back on it all, we feel immense gratitude. Gratitude for the gift Drew was and continues to be in all of our lives.
In honor of Drew on his birthday, we made our second annual donation to the Ewing’s Sarcoma Research Fund at Levine Children’s Hospital, a donation of $34,000. The donation goes through the Atrium Health Foundation and is dedicated to Ewing’s Sarcoma work being done at the Levine Research Lab. This fund allows us to designate our gift specifically to the study of Ewing’s.
We’re very happy to be able to continue our partnership with the incredible staff at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. The people at Levine have always been tremendous supporters and we can’t thank them enough for working with us in helping us find an avenue for the Foundation to make a targeted impact on Ewing’s sarcoma research.
The Foundation would also like to profoundly thank everyone for their continued support as we move into the new year. We would especially like to thank Dean Polly, Josh Thomas, and Amsted Rail along with the Walkley and Stefan families for the incredible work they did for the Foundation in 2024.
This year, in reflecting on Drew’s impact, we found ourselves coming back to an article written by Ed Wright of the Observer in July of 2019, shortly after the founding of our Foundation. The opening reads, ”Drew Poet was a perfectly-wrapped gift — to his family, friends, coaches and teammates.” The gift that Drew was to us and to so many, and the impact he continues to have on all our lives, is something to be celebrated and thought on with gratitude. In previous years it’s been more difficult, but as we move towards the end of the sixth year of the Foundation it’s become much easier. As we continue to do what we can to honor Drew, we recognize the gift he is to each of us.
Happy Birthday, Drew.