The last months have been a time of unfathomable loss for the Hamrick family.
First, Jason Hamrick, an assistant football coach and equipment specialist at Jesuit High School, died unexpectedly of a heart attack June 28. He was 48.
Just 11 weeks later on Sept. 12, his wife, Theresa, died of lung cancer at 47.
But now, their son Nathan, 15, despite his grief, is turning his attention to doing a good turn and helping fulfill a promise his late father made.
Jason Hamrick and his brother Ken Hamrick had promised their mother, Virginia, a trip back to New York, where she was born. She hadn't returned in decades.
Because of Jason Hamrick’s untimely death, the family thought the trip would never happen. That is until a few weeks ago.
Family comes together
“My brother’s youngest son, Nathan, remembered that Jason and I had promised our mother we would take her to New York,” said Ken Hendrick, who with his wife, Michelle, are Nathan’s legal guardians. “Nathan asked if there was any way we could still take his grandmother on that trip, and of course, I said we would.”
That promise will be honored on Dec. 22 when Nathan, his grandmother, uncle and aunt board a plane to New York City.
“When they told me we were going to New York, I was in shock and I still can’t believe it,” said Virginia Hamrick, 79. “I’m originally from Flushing, Queens. I left the area when I was 17 and moved to Miami where my family was living.
“I can’t wait to go back and see how things have changed where I grew up and then visit places I never got to see before, like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center.”
Nathan is happy the family can enjoy the trip together.
“My grandmother, Nana, means the world to me,” said Nathan, a sophomore at Jesuit High School. “She has done so much for me all of my life. Although it will be emotional for her, I know Nana will enjoy this trip."
Help from a nonprofit
The Running for Dreams Foundation, a local nonprofit, raised about $3,500 toward the trip. Its mission is to use money from private donations and corporate sponsors to fulfill a dream for children ages 8 to 18 who have lost a parent to cancer.
Phil de Gruy is the founder of Running for Dreams.
“I first heard of Theresa (Hamrick’s) cancer battle from the Jesuit community,” de Gruy explained. “When Jason passed, I learned that my son Jude and Nathan were friends. So I reached out to Ken and told him about my foundation. … He mentioned that he and Jason had told their mother they would take a vacation to New York since she had not been back in decades.
“Ken said Nathan wanted to keep that promise, and that’s all I needed to hear. This is why I started Running For Dreams, to help a kid who has suffered a loss realize a dream. I told Ken my foundation would help make the trip happen.”
“When Phil told me about the foundation and that he wanted to help, I told him that it was very nice of him but we were not asking for money,” Ken Hamrick said.
But he didn't have to ask.
“The outpouring of support from Phil’s foundation and from the Jesuit community is like nothing I have ever seen before. Everyone has been so good to us,” Ken Hamrick added.
Family ties
Virginia Hamrick recalled how much she depended on her late son and her close bond with her late daughter-in-law.
“Jason and Theresa were good, good people,” she said, her voice choking with emotion. “I depended on Jason so much, and he was always there for me. And Jason was completely and totally devoted to his wife. He couldn’t ever do enough for Theresa.
“When Theresa got sick, I helped in whatever way I could. She was like a daughter to me and she was just like Jason — giving, thoughtful and the very best person.”
Nathan, a member of the Jesuit football team, said his father was “always there for me.”
“My dad never missed any of my games. … As I get older, I am understanding and appreciating more and more the advice my dad gave me. He was right about everything.”
“My mom would do anything for anybody,” Nathan added. “She was not only the sweetest person I have ever known but she was also very strong and a faith-filled person.
Happiness and grief
This first holiday without Jason and Theresa will be especially hard, Ken Hamrick said, so going to New York will be an escape for the family.
He added that his mother has “rarely traveled and has never really taken time to do anything nice for herself.”
“She is so excited to take this trip,” he said.
Nathan sees the trip as a way to honor the memory of his parents. And like his dad, who made his own mother a promise, Nathan wants to keep a promise he made to his mom.
“I know my dad would be so excited that we kept his promise to take Nana to New York,” he said. “And my mom would be crying happy tears.
“I promised my mom that I would enjoy my life. And that’s what I am trying to do.”