AVON, Ohio — It's been a well-known attraction in Northeast Ohio for many years, not just for its beautiful flowers but for the wonderful cause it represents. Now, it's getting national recognition.
Maria's Field of Hope was featured Sunday on The Today Show, with Molly Hunter speaking to the parents of little Maria McNamara. The 7-year-old Lorain County native died in 2007 from an inoperable brain tumor.
"Horrific," Ed McNamara told Today. "Worst news a parent could ever get."
Ed and his wife Megan later learned that just 4% of federal funding went to pediatric cancer research, and decided to do something about it. The field started small near I-90 in 2013, but grew from there, and now covers more than 3 acres across two locations in Avon and at Cedar Point.
Six years later, the fields have helped raise millions of dollars for the McNamaras' foundation "Prayers From Maria." Often, pictures of children and prayer cards are left by the flowers in the field.
"Kids have a power over a parent forever," Ed said. "So I guess I'll be doing this 'til I die."
