Meet Donna Cochran

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Donna Cochran. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Donna below.

Donna, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

My youngest daughter, Ansley, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 2 years old. She fought against cancer for over 19 years before she passed in 2018. Ansley lived her life with purpose, generosity and positivity. It was important to me that her story be shared, and her lifelong battle not be forgotten even though she was no longer here to share it. I made the decision within hours of her passing that her fight would not end with her last breath. The Ansley Foundation was officially recognized as a non-profit organization exactly 90 days to the day that Ansley passed.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My name is Donna Cochran and I’m the Founder of The Ansley Foundation, Inc.
The Ansley Foundation originated from my commitment to make a difference for other families fighting childhood cancer so that one day they would not face the reality that my family is living daily. Losing Ansley is the first and last thing I think about every single day and that serves as my motivation to do whatever I can to help.

Inspired by Ansley’s resilience, we began raising funds for a cure by selling pumpkins, Christmas trees, t-shirts and hosting a car show at one of our favorite local pizza restaurants. We’ve provided assistance to families across the U. S. and Canada as well as donated over $150K to research programs and in-kind gifts and started The Ansley Weighted Blanket program within the oncology floor at our local children’s hospital. We’ve now partnered with the global shipping company, Hapag-Lloyd, and have an annual golf tournament that raised over $85,000 in 2024! Looking forward to 2025, we are adding our first evening event in addition to our golf tournament. Our Dine for a Cure will be held September 13, 2025, at Governors Gun Club and will be a fun filled evening with a VIP Cocktail hour followed by a delicious dinner, exciting auction and live tribute concert! We hope to add this to our growing list of annual events to make a cure for childhood cancer a reality within our lifetimes.

Currently, childhood cancer receives very little federal funding, and the American Cancer Society predicted this year alone, over 15,000 children/adolescents in the U.S. would be diagnosed with a form of childhood cancer and over 1500 children would die from cancer. Cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease of children in America.

I believe even one child dying from cancer is too many but sadly, it is more common than most people think.
That’s why we provide several ways our supporters can get involved and make a difference in a pediatric cancer patients life. Along with our events, we offer the option of making a one-time donation or becoming a monthly donor through our website. Our followers can read about Ansley’s journey with cancer in her own words from her blog entries on the site and order our latest merchandise directly.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Integrity, perseverance, and being empathetic have served me well since forming our non-profit. Because we receive our funding through donations, taking no for an answer isn’t an option. It’s important to always be looking ahead, watching, listening and learning about what works at our events and for other organizations and what we can do differently to make us more successful in raising funds. It’s important that our donors trust their money goes directly back to our cause, so it has the biggest impact where it’s most needed. Our foundation is run by volunteers who were involved in Ansley’s life and now invest their time to ensure her legacy lives on for years to come.
Having watched my daughter fight neuroblastoma her entire life, I fully understand the fear, helplessness and anxiety that comes with being a parent of a childhood cancer patient. It’s difficult to understand the emotional, physical and financial devastation that childhood cancer leaves behind unless you’ve lived it. These are additional stressors that parents fighting to keep their children alive should not have to navigate.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

One challenge we are working on is developing a growth plan for 2025 so that we continue to spread awareness of childhood cancer and raise even more funds bringing us closer to a cure.
Planning new events, developing new fundraising ideas and designing merchandise are all areas that require focus. Sharing Ansley’s story and our mission with neighboring communities and counties is something we are committed to in 2025!

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