Hanover woman helps grieving families find hope after losing 10-year-old daughter to cancer

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Hanover woman is turning personal tragedy into a source of comfort for families grieving the loss of a child to cancer.

In 2020, Jamie Perkins lost her 10-year-old daughter, Sawyer, after a nearly five-year battle with stage three anaplastic ependymoma, a rare form of brain cancer.

Perkins had documented her daughter’s fight online for years, gaining a large following and community of support.

During that time, Sawyer threw out the first pitch at a Richmond Flying Squirrels game and received a custom-built playhouse from local firefighters.

Five years later, Perkins said grief remains constant.

“I still can’t believe she’s not here,” Perkins said. “I look for her everywhere — in the sun, in the clouds, in the butterflies.”

After Sawyer’s death, Perkins founded "Sawyer’s Warriors," a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families bereaved by pediatric cancer.

“A lot of people are there for you during the journey and throughout the funeral, but then people move on,” Perkins said. “They carry on their lives while we are kind of stuck in one spot.”

Since launching in 2023, Sawyer’s Warriors has helped several families across the country. The nonprofit provides funeral assistance, counseling services and personal gestures, such as customized necklaces for mothers on Valentine’s Day.

Most recently, the organization began offering “Beauty Beyond the Beast Grief Retreats,” designed to provide grieving families with ways to create positive memories together.

The Thompson family is one of the families receiving support. Perkins met Candy Thompson in 2017 at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Both of their daughters, Brooklyn Thompson and Sawyer, were receiving treatment at the same time.

“Our girls both passed away, and we’re the only ones who can truly understand each other,” Perkins said. “Being able to talk and vent with someone who gets it means everything.”

The Thompson family will be staying at the Massanutten Ski and Water Park Resort as part of the retreat program. Perkins plans to meet the family in person for the first time in seven years -- a reunion she said will be deeply meaningful.

Perkins hopes Sawyer’s story and the mission of Sawyer’s Warriors will inspire others and bring light to families navigating grief, proving that even in loss, compassion and connection can endure.