Who was Willow Delaney Varner? Willow was the daughter of Ben & Corrin Varner, the fifth grandchild and first granddaughter of David & Beverly Varner, Founders of His Hands International. From the very first moments of her life, she always had a smile on her face and just lit up all those around her. She was a bundle of energy, joy, and love despite all that she endured in her short 6 3/4-years life here on Earth.
Willow was a miracle from the beginning. Her mother Corrin had a rare genetic disorder called Li-Fraumeni syndrome or (LFS). LFS is a rare hereditary or genetic disorder that increases the risk of developing several types of cancer. People with LFS are often diagnosed at younger ages and may have more than one cancer over the course of their lifetime. Corrin had her first cancer around the age of 15-16 which was Leukemia, which she recovered from. With all the radiation, chemo, and other meds, Corrin did not think she could get pregnant. So, when Willow was conceived, we were all full of joy.
Shortly after Willow was born Corrin had a major seizure one evening which led to the discovery of a stage 4 glioblastoma brain tumor. Again, praise the Lord, the tumor was removed successfully, and she once again underwent chemo and radiation. Corrin eventually recovered from this, and then started feeling tired and weak all the time. This was during the peak of Covid, so she was afraid to go to the hospital for fear of getting Covid. Unfortunately, she weakened to the point she had to be taken to the hospital where they discovered she had Acute Myeloid Leukemia or (AML), is a type of blood cancer. Where she once again started chemo treatments which weakened her immune system even further, and her worst fears were realized. She became infected with Covid in her weakened state and in just a few short days, the cancer and Covid took her life on November 20, 2021, and she went home to Jesus in heaven.
Corrin had 3 different types of cancer in her short life. She loved her “Willow Bug” and husband Ben with all her heart. Willow was 4 1/2 years old when her mother passed away, although she was very young, she loved her mommy and daddy. In the weeks, months, and years following we did our best to keep her mother’s memory alive. Willow talked about her mommy often and said she missed her.
It was less than 6 months after Corrin passed, she already had Willow set up for her first MRI, because Willow also had the same genetic mutation of LFS. It was during her first MRI that they discovered a Choroid plexus carcinoma is a rare cancerous (malignant) brain tumor that occurs mainly in children. A choroid plexus carcinoma begins near the brain tissue that secretes cerebrospinal fluid. This was devastating news for us. We began crying out to God along with our prayer warriors. And on May 18, 2022, the tumor was successfully removed.
Willow began chemo and underwent a stem cell harvesting procedure and later transplant. It was later down the road when it was discovered that the chemo damaged her kidneys. She had to undergo another surgery to install a feeding tube into her stomach for us to give her meds and nutrition, and another dialysis tube for Peritoneal Dialysis was placed into her abdomen wall for future dialysis. This was in addition to her main artery port in her chest that was accessed for blood work and other meds at the hospital. In addition to this she started radiation treatments. Ben did a weekly dialysis procedure to clean her tubes helping to keep her kidneys flushed.
Willow through all this never missed a beat with her infectious smile.
The nurses all loved Willow, and all wanted to take care of her during her many hospitalizations. She even lost her beautiful long brown hair during all this, which grew back curly and wavy. During many of our outings, Willow was seen wearing a backpack which was her source of food while her stomach and abdomen areas healed from her surgeries. Not once did this ever slow her down. She also loved her cat named Bear, who by the way came to visit her in the hospital on several occasions.
Willow loved life and her large family with many cousins she loved to play with. On May 18, 2023, Willow went on her Make A Wish trip to Disney World in Florida. She had an absolute blast even though it wore her out physically (and us). We are so thankful to Make A Wish Richmond for making this happen for her. Life was going good; Willow was eating more and more without the need for her scheduled feedings and gaining a very healthy weight. She was on the track to recovery. The doctors even decided to remove her dialysis tube since things were going well and her numbers were holding steady. Willow was excited about that because she could take a bath and swim again, something she loved to do.
In late August 2023 she started to have some nausea and vomiting again along with flu symptoms. The flu was going around, and we just thought it was that until it persisted past a normal flu. We took her to the ER where they said she had some type of Rhino Virus initially, then once they did an MRI a day or so later, it was discovered that her abdomen and pelvic areas where full of tumors which were causing the nausea. Her second diagnosis of cancer came as a shock for us all as she was doing so well until this all came on out of nowhere.
The doctors took us to a private conference room to tell us that the tumors were all in very difficult places to successfully remove, and the worst part, her kidneys were full of blood clots which further endangered any surgeries, and the risk of immediate death should they move. They also said that any surgeries or procedures would be risky for Willow to even survive, and if she did, she would have to endure a lot of pain and suffering. Ben had to make the most difficult decision of his life to not do anything and just keep her comfortable and enjoy whatever time we had left with her. This was heartbreaking for us all and I pray no parent or grandparents have to make this decision for your child. Willow went from a seemingly healthy little girl to a little girl on her death bed in just a few days.
We all went back to Willow’s room and tried our best to keep a smile on our face in front of her and keep this news from her. We all had to leave the room at times and go somewhere else and just cry. We cried out to the Lord and asked for healing, we enlisted an army of prayer warriors, many of you may be reading this now. We thank you for praying for us and intervening on our behalf, when at times all we could do was just cry and groan in pain.
For the next almost 2 months we filled our days with whatever Willow wanted to do and had the strength to do that day. From putting Legos together with her Daddy, or Daddy giving her a spa treatment, to Pap Pap making her laugh, to snuggling with GiGi Mom, it was all about Willow and no one else. She was our primary focus, other than God. We made vacation plans with her for when she got better and plans for things she wanted to do. Not once did we tell her she was dying, but somehow in the last few weeks, I think she knew but kept it to herself. You can’t fathom what her little mind may have been thinking about as she lost all her weight and was nothing but a skeleton. There were many ups and downs as we slowly walked her home to the arms of Jesus and her mother. In the beginning her body had really swollen up which made it difficult for her to breath and she needed oxygen. In a few days her swelling went down, and she actually was able to walk again for a short distance. Her favorite thing to do was to be pulled around in her wagon that was on loan from the hospital.
As we made countless laps around the 9th floor of VCU Childrens Hospital in Richmond, VA, Willow would love to stop at the open doors of the toddlers and babies. Willow loved younger children and loved to interact with them. During our many rounds we seen a lot of babies and toddlers come and go and were startled, at the number of these children left alone with no one to comfort them in their neediest time. It was these children that Willow, and us lingered a little longer at their doors to interact with them and help brighten their day. On many occasions, Willow said give this or that to these children out of the abundance of gifts that were given to her, or she would want us to purchase something for them, such as an outfit for a little baby by the name of Miracle who was a preemie.
The wagon seemed to bring comfort to her, and she would spend most of the day in it. Of course, we made it all cushy and comfortable for her. Over these two months we saw Willow’s smile gradually fade along with her conversations with us, which was the hardest part of this journey for us. Towards the end it came only for her Daddy. But during this time our family shared precious memories with Willow. Her room was decorated with Fairy Princesses and the tons of Legos Willow, and her Daddy put together. There were decorations and cards everywhere, one even from the Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin and his wife.
The highlight of Willow’s days was being pulled in her wagon downstairs to the first floor where the Ronald McDonald house was to do laundry. We learned early on that even if there was no laundry that needed to be done, that there needed to be laundry even if it was clean for Willow to wash. This made her happy. We would hand her the “dirty” clothes and from her wagon she would lean up and load them in the front-loading washing machine. We would then usually hang out in the Ronald McDonald House doing some sort of activity they would have there for her while the clothes finished washing. We would then maneuver her back into position with her wagon and IV pole where she would take the clean clothes out and move them to the dryer. But before they went in the dryer, she had to smell each piece of clothing that had the wonderful scent from the scented beads which she loved. Sometimes due to her meds and just weakness, she would fall asleep while smelling the clothing. We would have to gently wake her back up to finish the laundry. What a precious memory we shared with her and her many nurses on these laundry trips, the nurses said they never had a child love to do laundry like Willow did.
We are so incredibly proud of her Father Ben and the incredible Father he has been to Willow. He was there for her until she went home to the open arms of Jesus and her Mother. Every morning you would find Willow snuggled up to her Daddy, it was such a precious sight to see their love for each other. Ben has suffered 2 tragic losses in less than 2 years. Because of Willow and her love for him and her love for her church, Ben made sure of his salvation, along with several other family members. We have received tons of cards and letters from folks who only met Willow through social media telling us how profoundly Willow affected their lives, some also tell of coming back to Jesus and receiving salvation.
Just minutes into November 1, 2023, Ben and Willow were both woken by her nurse doing her normal rounds. Ben said Willow’s eyes shot wide open with a look he will never forget, looking straight into his eyes as if to say goodbye, then her heart and breathing stopped, and she went home to the open arms of Jesus and her mother. As hard a moment as it was, it was also a very beautiful moment as we just sat and held Willow and just loved on her body one last time, knowing she would never be in pain or have cancer again. She won her battle with cancer!
As the hours passed, we continued to take turns holding Willow and talking about her life. The hospital Chaplain had come in to just be with us, he knew we were a family of faith. He stepped out for a few minutes and the nurse came in to see if we needed anything. As we just sat there holding Willow, I told her that Willow won her battle with cancer. She would never be sick again, no more cancer, no more pain, she was home in the arms of Jesus and her mother. When I turned to look back at Willow, her smile came back on her face, and she had a peaceful radiant glow about her as if she was reflecting the Glory of God! That smile and glow was not there prior, so when the Chaplain walked back in the room and with a surprised look on his face and said, she’s smiling! I told him about what I had just said that made her smile. Folks it is impossible for you to smile after you are dead. We just witnessed a miracle!
This photo above was taken some three hours after Willow passed from this life to her new Heavenly home. This smile and peaceful look were not there prior to this moment. This was truly a miracle that God blessed us with, letting us and the world, know how very special Willow was to Him.
Who was Willow Delaney Varner? She was a gift from God, on loan from Him, to bless us, and everyone that knew her. Her infectious smile and story have brought healing to this world in ways yet to be seen. Her love for others and generosity will continue to bless others as we continue her legacy, she left for us. She was loved deeply, and deeply missed. There is a big hole in our hearts that she left, which has profoundly changed us for the better. God never makes mistakes; He always has a plan.
The Holy Spirit began to reveal HIS plans to us during our many laps around the 9th floor, and Willow was even a part of those plans. You see as we made our many laps around the unit over the next almost 2 months, we noticed many young children alone in their rooms. Lap after lap, Willow wanted to stop and look at the babies or toddlers with the open doors, and in the beginning wave to them and interact with them. Towards the final weeks, she only had the strength to just look. But during these many laps around the unit, some children had zero visitors, only hospital workers and volunteers to help cheer their day.
Willow was blessed with tons of gifts, and she wanted to share. On many occasions, she would tell us to give this or that to the child, and on our next lap after grabbing the gift from the room, she brought a smile to another child with that gift. I believe the Holy Spirit used Willow to reveal this needed ministry to us, and she showed us what she wanted us to do through her acts of love.
Our family is still healing, and will always be healing, but we feel the Holy Spirit guiding us to begin the process of carrying on Willow’s legacy of love and charity. Since our family already has a non-profit organization set up for the work we do in Guatemala, it makes it easier for us to begin this new work here at home. The new work will be named after Willow’s Facebook page that was set up for folks to pray for her and follow her journey. “Willow’s World” is and will forever be another ministry outreach of His Hands International.
Our goal now is to solicit financial support to purchase gifts to be given out at VCU Children’s Hospital in Richmond where Willow was. The goal is to take these gifts to the hospital and give them out in Willow’s name, helping to bring a smile and healing. We will purchase games, crafts, Legos, toys, and of course something to cuddle with. We are asking for financial donations only as we do not have storage space and want to maintain a high-quality gift in honor of Willow. Additionally, we can’t take any used stuff to the hospital due to hospital rules.
The one exception to this, is for folks who crochet and make blankets. We would ask for you to make new blankets for babies, toddlers, and young children and send them to us at the address on our donations page. Willow has received several blankets and loved them. One was even lost in shipping to the hospital and the lady made another one and sent. A day or so later the original one showed up. Willow wanted to give it to a little preemie baby named Miracle that she loved to visit, and we did. These blankets of love are a cherished gift.
Our eventual goal is to have a list of volunteers that deliver gifts and will spend a day or half-day at the hospital volunteering through Willow’s World, just spending time with these children that are alone for whatever reason. No child should be alone in the hospital. We want to be a blessing and help bring a smile and healing. Maybe just to sit with a parent while their child is in surgery or undergoing an MRI. We want to form a support group the hospital can call on for help if a parent needs to leave but does not want their child to be alone. We were blessed by God to be by Willow’s side every second of the day. Other’s may not be that fortunate. That is where our support group of volunteers can help.
Please join us by first joining Willow’s World on Facebook. It is a private group, but we are letting anyone join. There is where we will be posting more information about our plans and the needs. Now, we are asking folks to pray and sign up to give a monthly donation, even if it is just $5, it will make a huge difference in a child’s life.
Please use the QR code below to make a donation to Willow’s World, and please feel free to share this with your friends, family, church or other organizations. What a great way to get involved here at home.
Click here to be taken to our Willow’s World Project donation link
