Our Foundation

The Shannon Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping to pay for medical care for children whose families can't afford it. Formed in 1994 in memory of Shannon Fisher, who passed away as an infant. The Shannon Foundation believes that no child or infant should suffer because his or her family cannot afford to pay for medical care.

Letter from the Founder, Fritz Fisher

It's difficult, if not impossible, to adequately describe to someone who hasn't gone through it what it feels like when your child is gravely ill. My wife, Sheila, and I experienced that feeling when our third daughter, Shannon, was born on September 13, 1993. Put simply, it felt like our world was falling apart. Shannon was a beautiful baby, but the doctors knew right away that she had serious physical problems. It took a few weeks, innumerable tests and three surgeries before the doctors could definitively pinpoint the extent of those problems. The ultimate diagnosis was that she had extensive deficiencies with her nervous system, and she passed away after being with us for only five weeks.

After Shannon passed away, I struggled for many months, trying to figure out a way to help keep her memory alive, a way to help give meaning to her short life. After speaking with medical professionals and social workers, I realized that there are a lot of kids who simply aren't receiving the medical help that they need. Sheila and I had medical insurance that covered Shannon's needs; unfortunately, even the best medical resources couldn't save Shannon. What I discovered as I continued to look into the matter is that there are many families out there who are in the opposite situation -- children who are very ill but can be cured or significantly helped with the proper medical care, but their families can't afford it. This just shouldn't happen in a country as wealthy as ours. I decided to form The Shannon Foundation to help as many of those kids as possible.

The Shannon Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping to pay for medical care for children whose families can't afford it. Working through social workers at various hospitals across the country to identify kids in need, since its inception in 1994 the Foundation has paid for medicine, medical tests and procedures, equipment (such as wheelchairs, ventilators, etc.), hospital visits, surgery, medical co-pays, chemotherapy, and physical therapy for many hundreds of kids. The Shannon Foundation has received section 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service, so donations to the Foundation are tax-deductible. One of the most important aspects of The Shannon Foundation is that, unlike most charities, 100% of the donations it receives (except for donations specifically earmarked by donors for the Foundation's endowment) are allocated for charitable disbursement; no portion of its revenues are used for administrative or any other purposes.

Children who get life-threatening or life-ending illnesses certainly should receive the medical attention that they need. Most of you who are reading this are parents. Try to imagine for a moment that your child is seriously ill and that you can't afford the medical care that your child needs. For most of us, this is our worst nightmare. But it is a nightmare that is all too real for some parents. This should never happen. With your help, The Shannon Foundation will continue to help as many children as we can to receive medical care that they wouldn't otherwise receive.

- Fritz Fisher