Medterra was built on the foundation of helping others and we make efforts to align with businesses that share these goals. One of these companies is The Roc Solid Foundation, founded by Eric Newman.
Eric is a pediatric cancer survivor and knows better than anyone, the true struggles that families are faced with in these difficult times. To help ease those struggles, Eric’s foundation offers newly diagnosed families the comfort of a Ready Bag. This bag has all of the essentials that a family could need their first few days at the hospital and serves as a sign that they are supported on their journey.
One of Roc Solid’s biggest goals is to bring joy back into the lives of children affected by cancer. They do this through their Play It Forward initiative, which builds custom playsets in the backyards of kids fighting cancer. Life changes in every capacity for a child affected by cancer, what was once time for play, is now filled with doctors appointments. To combat this, the foundation runs on the motto “Play defeats cancer”, which adorns the t-shirts of all of the volunteers.
On May 31st, the Medterra team was fortunate enough to team up with the Roc Solid Foundation to help build a playset for a beautiful six-year-old, named Valentina Marie Hernandez. Valentina was diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive form of brain cancer that currently has no cure.
That morning, the team arrived at the Hernandez home in time to give well wishes and high fives to Valentina and her family, as they took off in their limo to the LA Zoo. As soon as the family was out of site, the team got to work, transforming the backyard into a playful sanctuary, perfect for creating lasting memories. A few short hours later, the family returned for the big reveal and a blindfolded Valentina was led into the yard by her adoring father. As the blindfold was removed, the excitement was palpable, a true testament to the power of play and the joy it creates. Medterra’s CEO, Jay Hartenbach said it best "I think at the end of the day, we all are here to have some enjoyment in our lives. Valentina probably hasn't had so much opportunity to play."
Medterra was honored to play a part in Valentina’s joy and to partner with such an incredible foundation like Roc Solid. This day will forever be imprinted on the hearts of all of those that volunteered.
