Christmas Without Cancer Selected As Honoree Of Crystal Heart Ball

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — A beloved grassroots organization that provides Christmas gifts and other financial assistance to families struggling with a cancer diagnosis will be honored at the 2025 OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center Crystal Heart Ball.

The Crystal Heart Ball will be held Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Field Museum, 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago. The black tie event will be emceed by Evergreen Park’s own Patrick Elwood and Dina Bair from WGN-TV, and dancing to music provided by Maggie Speaks - Talk of the Town Big Band.

Each year, the Crystal Heart Ball showcases individuals and organizations for their outstanding accomplishments and service. The prestigious Venerable Mary Potter Humanitarian Award honors those whose personal and professional accomplishments embody the ideas, vision and mission of Venerable Mary Potter, who founded the Little Company of Mary Sisters in 1877.

This year the prestigious award will be handed out to Christmas Without Cancer, a non-profit organization founded in 2003 by Gerri Neylon, an oncology nurse from Evergreen Park. Neylon was moved by the struggles of families undergoing treatment for cancer and the financial, physical, and emotional toll it takes on them, especially during the holidays. What began with her helping one family has grown into thousands of families in the south suburbs, being helped year-round.

This will be the 33rd anniversary of the Crystal Heart Ball. Proceeds will benefit surgical services at OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center, specifically renovations of the surgical recovery rooms and patient and family waiting areas. New, updated spaces are necessary for the medical center to expand its surgical offerings and continue to deliver advanced care close to home. Comfortable areas for both patients and their loved ones will ease the anxiety that often accompanies surgery and aid in patient preparation and recovery. Proceeds will be used for capital renovations, as well as the purchase of new furniture and equipment.

Chairperson for the 2025 Crystal Heart Ball is Marci Schneider Batsakis with Mary Uckerman, MD, serving as co-chair.

For more information including how to get tickets, make a donation and sponsorships visit OSF HealthCare Little Company of Mary Medical Center Crystal Heart Ball.