Katie Haynes &

Smiling While Sending Hope

“Bringing smiles to those of us with chronic illness and special needs.”

Tell us a little about your medical journey.

I have many chronic illnesses, gastroparesis, dysautonomia, CRPS and much more. I just got my feeding tube in September due to my gastroparesis progressively getting worse. I was very upset when I found out it had gotten to this point and that things probably wouldn't ever be the same. I have learned that no matter the battle you might face in life you will always have GOD and amazing friends/family there to support you. My FreeArm has been amazing for our on-the-go travel. We LOVE the convenience and how accessible this product is.

Tell us about the mission of Smiling While Sending Hope as the founder and CEO.

Smiling While Sending Hope creates care packages for individuals with chronic illness and special needs from birth to 26. We also host a toy drive at Christmas that benefits local children's hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.
In 2023, we started offering caregiver and family outings throughout the year in hopes of providing a safe space for everyone to gather and feel a sense of connection. This year we are celebrating 10 years of our toy/food drive and our second year as an official nonprofit. This is a big year for us and we hope your readers will join us in an effort to help hospital families who might not have the luxury of being home this Christmas.

What led you to start Smiling While Sending Hope? What are you most proud of accomplishing?

Smiling While Sending Hope is a nonprofit in memory of Paxton Seneri and Brooklyn Boone so this is also what led me to start Smiling While Sending Hope. I am most proud of the fact that Smiling While Sending Hope went from a 4-H project to an official non-profit.

How can readers help support Smiling While Sending Hope?

They can support us via our square donation link or via our Amazon wish list.