Duke Children's Hospital Radiothon

Nothing tugs at my mommy heartstrings more than hearing about a child who is suffering from cancer or some other tragic illness. Every year I would listen to bits and pieces of the Mix 101.5 Radiothon for Duke Children's Hospital and was always brought to tears by the stories - some with happy endings and some not - of the parents and caregivers of many precious children who are battling diseases that they should never have to face. And then I would thank God that I haven't needed the services that Duke Children's Hospital provides. Then I would make my donation and move on.

This year was different. This year I have a slightly better understanding of what those parents are facing and feeling. Last October, my oldest son had a lump form on the right side of his face in the cheekbone area. At first we didn't think much about it but it rapidly grew so we couldn't ignore it any longer. We still didn't pay it much mind until after a casual visit to the pediatrician we were immediately sent for a CT scan. That same afternoon I vividly remember sitting alone in the consult room at our pediatrician's office and hearing him say that they had no idea what it was but it did not look good and then asking if it was OK for him to refer us to a pediatric neurosurgeon at Duke Children's Hospital. All I could think of was that Duke is where all the really sick kids go. We couldn't possibly need to go there, could we?

But we did - the very next week. And then the very next day he had surgery. Fortunately, unlike many of the stories on the Radiothon, our story has a happy ending. We went for something that appeared extremely grave but ended up being something completely fixable. And for that we are so grateful.

I write all this because even my brief experience of not knowing what was wrong with my child and not knowing if it could be fixed gave me a little perspective on what many of those parents and children go through for much longer periods of time. And the staff at Duke Children's Hospital does everything they can to support those precious families. They make every effort to ease fears and anxieties and to help families maintain some semblance of normalcy while traveling an often unexpected but sometimes long and painful journey.

So as a mother, I would ask you to consider making a small donation to help Duke Children's Hospital continue to provide help for these precious families during such difficult situations.