NEW PALESTINE — Ben Edwards is a brain cancer survivor and a top-notch artist to boot, creating a holiday ornament for Riley Hospital for Children that is hanging on trees through central Indiana this Christmas season.
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Ben, 10, New Palestine, has lived quite an amazing life so far. The youngster was treated for brain cancer when he was just 18 months old, making it through four major surgeries and radiation treatments.
He’s also a youngster coming into his own, finding out what he likes to do for fun in life, after he designed the Christmas tree ornament now being sold as part of the Riley Children’s Foundation’s Be the Hope campaign.
Ben’s father, Chris Edwards, said that while he always knew his son was special, he had no idea Ben was such a good artist. He’s still thankful — some nine years after his son’s illness — that the family can give back to the people and the place that saved Ben.
“Like Ben, Riley Hospital is full of hidden talents that only become visible when they are needed,” Edwards said. “Ben could not have gotten better treatment anywhere else.”
Riley Children’s Foundation officials reached out to Ben’s family to see whether he might be interested in coming up with a design that would look good on a holiday ornament.
“When they reached out, I thought, ‘Oh dear, what are we going to get? Are they sure they want him?’ I was thinking stick figures or anything else the boys think is attractive, but certainly nothing petite for an ornament,” Ben’s mother, Beth Edwards, said with a laugh.
Ben got right to work on a snowman motif, creating a jovial snowman wearing a Riley scarf with the trademark Riley wagon in the background.
“His design was amazing, and he did such a good job,” his mother said.
When the family decided to let Ben do the project, his mother gave him one piece of paper for practice, then a second one to get the job done with paint, and he finished the artwork quickly.
Ben, who enjoys art and is part of New Palestine Elementary School’s vision arts program, discovered art was fun one day while sitting at his desk, drawing to pass time.
When it came to create the ornament design, Ben said he thought the project through and came up with the idea.
“I just thought Riley wants me to add something that says Riley wagon and Riley symbols to it, so I just thought, I’m going to make a snowman because when you think winter you think about building snowmen in the snow,” he said.
Ben and other young ornament artists attended a recent luncheon at the J.W. Marriott hotel in downtown Indianapolis, where he greeted visitors who stopped by to admire his artwork. Many bought Ben’s ornaments as well. Each came with a greeting card autographed by the young artist.
The Be the Hope campaign is seeking to raise $175 million to support the hospital’s mission in three key areas: pediatric research and patient care; maternity and newborn health; and family support programs.
While Ben was too young then to remember what he went through as a baby, including being rolled into surgery to have his tumor removed, his parents and older brother remember it well, they said. His mother asked the doctor if he had been able to remove the entire tumor. “I think I did,” Ben’s mom recalled the doctor saying.
Turns out Ben’s doctor was right.
Ben is now nine years cancer-free and is a bright, healthy, witty youngster who enjoys playing in the snow and putting together Legos with his brother. His parents said Ben has a real talent for connecting with people and frequently reads children’s books to kindergarten students, all in addition to being quite the artist.
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To buy holiday Riley ornaments and cards the the one Ben Edwards created visit RileyHolidayCards.org
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