Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner, and I am your host.
[00:00:19] Speaker A: Had my son not gotten cancer and been through this, we would have never helped. Coming close to 100 families, we would never interface with these folks, and that's a positive in itself. So amidst the storm, there are blessings out there for everybody, for every single one of us. But it really takes you to be able to take a deep breath and sort out your feelings and become aware of those things. Then once you do, embrace them, because they're anchors to hang on to, and they'll make you better.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: All right, so good afternoon. We are here on the Clear Impact Podcast, and today I have the great pleasure of speaking with Scott Van Allman over the phone. Welcome, Scott.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Hi. Thanks for having me.
[00:00:58] Speaker B: Yeah, thanks for making time to chat with us today.
So, last year at the Mitre foundation golf event in Hershey, I had the opportunity to hear you speak about the invincible organization. And that is something that you and your family began.
And can you share with us a little bit about the story of that?
[00:01:19] Speaker A: Yeah. It goes back to December of 2020, when we were, we'll say, living the normal life with my wife and I, Kim having three kids and our son Vince being the middle of all three. He was wrestling literally at the time in December. Keep in mind, this is Covid time. So didn' blend well for Covid. He was wrestling all the way up until December 27th. And then the night of New Year's Eve, he woke up with a fever, walked into our room kind of delirious at 3am and we took him to the pediatrician on New Year's Day, and they did a finger prick with some blood sample. And thankfully, the pediatrician at the time said, you've got to take him to UNC or Duke. We live in North Carolina because he's got leukemia. And it was that quick of a cold bucket of water on the face.
[00:02:06] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:02:07] Speaker A: Life was about to change. So we went. He was diagnosed January 1st of 2021, and once have gone through all of the necessary steps. At that point, I would just say in terms of our foundation and how this was created, boy, once we went through our own journey, call it the first six months, we knew how super difficult this was on families, our families. And I like to say it'll strain the best, strongest families. It'll strain them. It'll disintegrate any other families below that threshold. I mean, it's just that Powerful. And that taxing on families from all different phases, economic, physical, emotional. And so it was our getting through that call it first six months of journey is where we recognize that we were not alone in this. That there were a lot of families that were suffering through the same things we were, and at times suffering even worse than we were with different cancer diagnosis, different treatments, and then ultimately the death of a child.
[00:03:11] Speaker B: Right.
[00:03:11] Speaker A: And we kind of woke up. And I'm shrinking the timeline here just for the sake of our conversation, but the wake up point was we're not alone. There's a lot of families that have it way, way worse than we for a variety of reasons. And I think it's time that we try to do our part to help the bigger picture and help others struggling with all of these things that I outlined.
[00:03:34] Speaker B: Wow. And so, first of all, that's just amazing that here you are just keeping your head above water dealing with this tremendous difficulty. Right. You have two other children that are not facing a cancer diagnosis, but still have their full lives.
You have, you know, your life, your wife is busy, you know, everyone has their things. And now everything comes to a grinding halt because Vince has been diagnosed. And your thought process is we need to help other people. I mean, that's amazing. First of all, I hope that you recognize that I think that's amazing. That's not the norm. I think maybe people feel like that afterwards, but when you're still in the thick of it, that's pretty powerful.
[00:04:17] Speaker A: Well, I appreciate that. And of course, I take that as a compliment. And I do recognize it's not the norm. I can't explain the feelings, but I think as I look back on it, it's essentially a calling and has become a mission. And I.
It's just part of what we need to be doing as humans and that's serving others. To your point, it came in a time mid process with my son going through it, but I think that's what's made it even more special and personally for our family. It's been a method of coping as well, to get in the trenches with other families while we're going through the same thing. There is a part of it that is therapy. Essentially, we're sharing and talking about the same things with families that are going through similar issues at the same time that we are. It has provided an outlet. Has it been easy? No. But when we look at this foundation, we don't even think about ourselves. So I am grateful and appreciative of folks like you calling it amazing and Giving it platitudes like that. But we really don't do it for any type of pat on the back or anything else. We just literally do it because there is a massive need that we've uncovered and we've sacrificed other things in our lives to be able to focus on the needs of other people. And that's just what we're choosing to do with it. And like I said, it's caused blessings over the last five years that would have never happened had we not gone through with this foundation.
[00:05:43] Speaker B: Sure. And so I know a little bit more of the story, but I'll let you share.
So fast forward six years. Right. Or 2026 now. How's Vince doing and how's the family doing?
[00:05:55] Speaker A: Yeah, we're about as steady as can be. It's been a journey the last five and a half years all the way through, I think. Best thing I can say about parents in this situation is you get a lot of practice dealing with fear, uncertainty and doubt. I mean, you get daily practice with it.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:06:12] Speaker A: And so we've become very good at being able to withstand the peaks and valleys of this whole thing and just try to stay steady and really have an incredible perspective on life in general, let alone the cancer treatment of just staying here today. Because you cannot control what's going to happen in the future for any of us. That's in God's hands. So we're good with that. And to Vince, I would say he's steady as well. There have certainly been a series of. I wouldn't even call them setbacks, but just things within his whole treatment procedure that have caused a lot of worry and caused a lot of hesitation and provided a ton of doubt. But you know, here as we speak right now, he will have finished his second treatment, his second go around this upcoming in November. So we see the finish line of it. But again, as parents, especially when we've gone through it twice, there's this constant little partner on your shoulder that is fear, uncertainty and doubt that you just. You work with nearly every day.
[00:07:13] Speaker B: Wow. And how old is he now?
[00:07:15] Speaker A: He's 16.
[00:07:16] Speaker B: 16?
[00:07:16] Speaker A: Yeah. So going to high school. He'll be a junior if you talk to him. He spoke at our gala last year and separating myself from being a dad, he brought down the house. I mean, he was incredible.
But if you saw him at our gala or talk to him right now, you' think he's a normal, everyday teenager. That testament to his attitude and how he handles things. But it's one of those things with blood cancer Sometimes in the treatments, you don't really know anything's going on otherwise, but he's steady as can be.
[00:07:46] Speaker B: Wow. So he was in remission for a while, is that my understanding? He was battling for a while and then was clear and then had a relapse. Right.
[00:07:55] Speaker A: So the way leukemia treatment is, it's the longest cancer treatment that essentially exists. So when he was diagnosed on January 1st of 21, he had two and a half years of treatment. And when I say treatment, that means something happening every single day. Typically at the very least, a regimen of six to eight chemo pills a day for two and a half years.
[00:08:18] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:08:19] Speaker A: Within that time period, you show up at diagnosis and you've got full blown leukemia. Like 30% plus of your cells are cancerous.
They knock that back very quickly early on in the treatment, essentially break your body down to zero, rid the leukemia and then the rest of the treatment, call it the last two years, is all just staying on top of it and like I said, taking at least a daily regimen of chemo pills that just keep it off and get through the protocol. So he did that for two and a half years and then about 16 months, he was in remission up until November of 20.
I can remember the date, November 8th of 2024, had the unfortunate call from our doctor saying that he had relapsed. And so essentially you start the exact same process again. It's just a little bit more intense because it's his second time through it and there's really no safety net beyond, you know, this treatment.
[00:09:16] Speaker B: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact podcast provide helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
So how has the recurrence, how has that impacted the mission of Invincible?
[00:09:41] Speaker A: It hasn't done anything physically to it. I think it's just given me more determination and inspiration to continue it.
[00:09:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:49] Speaker A: So we've done nothing but grow it year over year in terms of the families we serve.
[00:09:54] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:09:55] Speaker A: And you know, we're reaching about max capacity so far as we speak right now. We've helped 21 families this year and have donated over 155,000 to those families and some of those families, 21 new families. But there are some repeat families that we've helped that are in very tough situations. There's been five families that have a child that has died this year.
And in response to that, we added A new part of our foundation called Invincible Solace. And it's really about connecting those families, the parents and siblings, with a remote opportunity to talk to a counselor about their grief and handling it and moving forward with it, not past it, but with it. And we'll pay for all of that. So it just gives them an opportunity with no strings attached from a cost standpoint, to meet with somebody to talk it out. So I'm really happy that we created that because there's such a need.
A lot of times with these families, I just outlined what a treatment looks like. So they're going through years of treatment at times where all hands are on deck with that child, meaning all of the support from the hospital, all of the network from the hospital. And then if the child dies, all of that just stops.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: Right.
[00:11:13] Speaker A: And these parents are left with the grief of having to move forward in their lives. So it was a gap that we didn't know we had until we started feeling the effects of some of these families in that situation. So I'm so happy that we have taken the steps to be able to bridge that gap a little bit with some help for those specific families.
[00:11:34] Speaker B: Wow. Yeah. You don't think about that part, but I have friends that have lost children, and there's not a word for it. If you lose a spouse, you're a widow or a widower, but if you lose a child, there's not even a name for it because there just isn't one. It's just this horrible situation. No one's ever supposed to outlive their children, you know? And that's beautiful, though, that you and your family recognize that that's a hole that needs to be filled and that you're providing at least something in that space. Yeah, that's heart wrenching.
[00:12:08] Speaker A: Well, thank you, Sherry. And I love your perspective on that. I've never heard that before. You're right. There is no quote, unquote word for it.
[00:12:14] Speaker B: Yeah, there really isn't.
And so here's a question for you. How did you become connected with the Mitre Foundation?
[00:12:22] Speaker A: Well, I'm grateful to have a friend named Jason Seco.
[00:12:25] Speaker B: Ah, I know Jason.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: Yeah, I met Jason a while back. It had to be about 2022 or 2023, and non related to Mitre. He's one of those people that just showed general compassion and interest for our situation and embraced our situation.
And as he heard about what was happening in terms of me creating the foundation and kind of moving forward, he just wanted in. So he's one of those Rare people that literally raised his hand and is like, whatever I can do, I want in. Subsequently, we grew that relationship enough to where he became a board member. And so his obvious connection with MI, Windows and MITers was a natural attraction to be able to connect the two groups together. So I give him all the credit for doing that. And, boy, are we blessed to be able to have the Mitre foundation not only be a donor and supporter, but there's somebody that is completely genuine. And I say that the group of MITRE in general is just completely genuine and committed to causes like us. You obviously know the breadth of what they do, but seeing it firsthand, as the president of the foundation, it's not something that they take lightly. And. And I'm thankful for any and all support. Whether that's a prayer or 50 cents, it doesn't matter. My point here is that Mitre, out of all of the donors that we've had, big and small, and I'm grateful for them all, they just come at it with some sense of compassion and commitment. That is just next level.
[00:14:01] Speaker B: Wow. Well, thank you. It's truly a special organization that allows us all to give back in some capacity. And we're encouraged, you know, with paid volunteer time off every year and, you know, just bringing different organizations into our awareness. And sometimes if you have a happy little life, you're kind of oblivious to the challenges around you. And then you hear about stories like Vince's and, you know, so many others, and you're just like, okay, I need to help. I need to do something, because that's the only thing you can do. You know, you can't take it away. You can't walk in your shoes. But you can lend support, however. So. Yeah, that's great. I met Jason last year at the golf tournament. He's an amazing person for sure.
[00:14:42] Speaker A: We're so lucky to have him as part of the board.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: Yeah. So Invincible is named after your son, and that's spelled with an E. And then Abel, I know you have a website I've been on there, but if you can just share with our listeners how people can find you and support your organization if they would like to.
[00:15:00] Speaker A: Yeah, it's their website's Be Invincible. I thought of it with really good intentions, but when I have to give it out, especially verbally, it gets confusing.
[00:15:09] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:15:10] Speaker A: So it's the word B, boy, echo B, E. And then Invincible spelled I N. And then my son's name, V, I N C E A B L e dot org. So beinvincible dot Org. You can find us there. You can certainly donate there. You can also contact us if you know of a family or a child that's suffering. One of the beauties that we have here, just having been through this personally, is that there are certainly a lot of organizations that help. A lot of organizations that we've come across have filters. And keep in mind, filters are needed at times for various reasons. In terms of being able to help a family, we only have one filter, and that is your child needs to be going through active cancer treatment and then that's it. So we'll help any of those families if we've got the bandwidth to be able to do it, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, anything. I just try to make it really, really easy for the families to be able to contact us. And if we're able to reach out to them and they're in the queue that we just make a turnkey and quick.
[00:16:19] Speaker B: Wow, that's powerful. What is the geographic range? Is it just to your area or anywhere in the U.S. no, it's the United States.
[00:16:27] Speaker A: We've helped families in about 20 states at this point.
[00:16:31] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:16:32] Speaker A: We've had a pretty good concentration in North Carolina for the obvious reasons. When I'm in the hospital at UNC Children's, which, by the way, the plug for them, they've just been incredible. I'll speak with families face to face and get their information. We'll help them. So naturally, North Carolina's got the lion's share, but literally, you name it, we've been out to Washington, California, the Midwest, Central. Really every portion of the United States we've hit.
[00:17:00] Speaker B: Wow, that's so amazing. Well, I mean, it's the lemons to lemonade story, right? You were handed something you didn't want and turning it into something beautiful and gracious for others. So kudos. And if there's anything else that we need to share.
[00:17:17] Speaker A: No, I just think that's it. Lemons to lemonade. I look at that perspective and empathy, all of these situations that we go through as humans. You have the ability to be able to. As long as you're living and have your mental capacities, you have the ability to have awareness, bring you the ability to see blessings.
[00:17:37] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:38] Speaker A: And I try to keep myself sane with that perspective. But we also share that perspective with the families that we interface with and talk with. Is that even through the toughest and hardest times, even through the suffering and the potential death, we're always going to have that grief and that fear, uncertainty, doubt. But we also have a choice to recognize that these situations, especially immense suffering, allow us the opportunity to get to another level, spiritually and mentally. Not going to be easy, but those levels often include a heightened sense of perspective and elevated empathy, meaning our ability to understand that others are going through this and then to have empathy because we've walked in their shoes.
It's such a powerful thing and it's such a blessing.
And I feel so grateful at times for what we've gone through because it's given us that now. Would I change this in a second if I could? Yeah. But the blessings have been vast as well, and I'm quick to share that with the families we come in contact with. Had my son not gotten cancer and been through this, we would have never helped. Coming close to 100 families, we would never interface with these folks, and that's a positive in itself. So, amidst the storm, there are blessings out there for everybody, for every single one of us. But it really takes you to be able to take a deep breath and sort out your feelings and become aware of those things. Then once you do, embrace them, because they're anchors to hang on to, and they'll make it better. And I truly believe that we're put on this earth for one major reason, and that's to serve other people and to help other people without getting anything in return.
And that's been a lesson we've learned through the creation of this foundation that we'll carry on, our family, will carry on for the rest of our lives.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: Wow. Well, that's a powerful message and, you know, thankful that you answered the call and that you're continuing the work and prayers for Vince and the whole family and just really appreciate your time today. Scott, thank you so much for sharing.
[00:19:43] Speaker A: Sherry. My pleasure.
Grateful again to have the Mitre foundation in our corner, and thank you for your time.
[00:19:49] Speaker B: All right, thanks. Take good care.
[00:19:50] Speaker A: All right, bye.
[00:19:51] Speaker B: Bye.
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