Wanted: Smiles, Laughter and Hope

Starlight Children’s Foundation is a nonprofit organization that helps
seriously ill children and their families cope with the pain, fear and
isolation of illness through education, entertainment and family
activities.

Starlight serves 100,000 children a year through 55 New
England hospitals. Our educational programs help sick children and
their families understand medical procedures in a non-threatening,
interactive way. Starlight’s entertainment programs help distract sick
children from their treatment and provide them with much-needed
laughter and relief. We also host community building events that help
Starlight families meet one another and create lasting memories outside
of the hospital environment.

We believe a child’s smile is a terrible thing to waste, but an easy
gift to give. Families of Starlight children understand that healing
requires more than just medical treatment. One mother expressed how
Starlight’s programs helped her son battle cancer:

Up until a few years ago, my family was just like any other family
in your neighborhood. My husband and I were both busy working
professionals, and our children were happy and healthy. My son Michael
was an 8-year-old little boy who loved to ride his bike, play video
games, and clown around with his older sisters Kathleen and Cynthia.

Then one day, our whole world was turned upside down.

Michael burst into my bedroom at 5 a.m., crying, clutching his chest in
pain and barely able to breathe. He was running a very high fever and
was in such serious distress that we rushed him to the hospital. From
that morning on life changed forever.

After many tests, x-rays, CT scans, and a biopsy, Michael was diagnosed
with a very rare, but deadly, form of bone cancer. The doctors found a
massive tumor that was growing out of his rib, pushing against his lung
and liver and causing my little boy all that pain.

I felt as if I was going to die. As a health professional, I knew
immediately what Michael’s prognosis was, and I knew that it wasn’t
good. Emotionally, I was a wreck. Our life became a whirlwind of
doctors, hospital rooms and medical treatments. Michael had surgery to
remove three of his ribs and part of his lung. He endured 10 months of
grueling chemo every six weeks for three to six days at a time.
Nausea, fatigue, infections, pain, transfusion, and isolation were a
regular part of his world.

At night, my mind would fill with unanswered questions. While searching
the Web for any bit of information that might help, I found Starlight
Starbright’s