My Hometown Heroes is a local scholarship fund for cancer survivors. Danny Heinsohn, the founder and a cancer survivor, talked with the RN&R about his journey and the group’s efforts. My Hometown Heroes’ upcoming fundraising events include Chip in for Charity, in conjunction with the 2024 Barracuda Championship PGA Tour Golf Tournament in Truckee from July 18-21, and Networking Night at the Ballpark on Tuesday, Aug. 20, with the Reno Aces. For more information, visit myhometownheroes.org.
Tell me a bit about yourself and the history of the My Hometown Heroes program.
Upon college graduation with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering, I was diagnosed with brain cancer. After 15 months of craniotomies, seizure complications and chemotherapy, I spiraled into depression and lost my sense of identity. I had to re-learn how to walk, talk and tie my shoes. By the time I got back into “real life,” I was broke, with a mound of student debt, and socially marooned—and the economy entered a 2 1/2-year recession. There were no jobs. While the rest of the world moved on, I was left in the wake of cancer and chemotherapy. I changed my way of thinking, took action and reinvented myself.
On the road to recovery, I signed up to participate in an indoor cycling class choreographed to music. The instructor was amazing, and I loved the energy and sense of camaraderie. … I decided to become a certified spinning instructor. Along with this newfound passion came a new lifestyle. I grew up playing sports and consuming sports on traditional media, but the parallels between cancer and chemotherapy with endurance sports became my new calling card.
Following this path led to an encounter with the owner of a startup company whose passions aligned with mine (Access Event Solutions, which designs and manufactures backstage passes and media credentials for sporting and entertainment events). I was hired the next day, and that’s when my career in sales began. Eventually, I would go on to create two divisions of the company, in the professional sports and corporate sponsorship industries. I cracked the sales code in those markets, implemented and activated new ideas, streamlined processes, differentiated on the details, and built ironclad partnerships with the biggest names in the business.
My Hometown Heroes was created to celebrate the community that supported me with compassion along my journey through brain cancer. They were my heroes. … Our mission is to help bridge the gap between cancer and college, one scholarship at a time. Since 2011, we have awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to young adult cancer survivors between the ages of 17 and 39 who are pursuing an education at universities, community colleges and trade schools, from all across the country.
Can you tell me a success story?
In July 2015, Haley Carroll was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma before her senior year in high school. I met Haley and her dad in 2016 at a My Hometown Heroes fundraising event and learned about her story. She had just started to grow her hair back from chemotherapy and would begin college that fall semester. We were with Haley every step of the way through college, when she made an announcement that she was accepted into the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada. Following college graduation, Haley went on to become a nurse at Renown hospital, and a year later, she became a pediatric oncology nurse. She recently got married.
What can the community do to help?
Support helps make scholarship dreams come true through an annual donation … or consider MHH as a beneficiary of your estate planning. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available as well, such as reviewing scholarship applications, program development, help with operations, or joining the board or a committee.