Everyday Courage Newsletter Fall 2019

Everyday Courage News from Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation

September 2019

Chemo Couldn’t Keep Him from Dancing YOUR GENEROSITY GIVES KIDS LIKE GAVIN, AND THEIR FAMILIES, HOPE

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ixteen-year-old Gavin has already faced more medical challenges than most people face in a lifetime.

Born with Down syndrome, three heart defects and four blood disorders, Gavin also has asthma, sleep apnea, chronic ulcers and a compressed optic nerve. Since he first visited Children’s Hospital Colorado at 18 months old, he’s been seen by nearly every department.

Then, at age 12, Gavin was diagnosed with a blood cancer: acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

But his mom, Frankie, knew Gavin was in the best possible place, especially given his complex medical history. “I love knowing that this is a place where all the doctors talk to each other.

All of my son’s care is coordinated, which is so important for a kid like Gavin.”

HELPING SPIRITS SOAR & KIDS HEAL Gavin is a hip-hop dancer, and he had been practicing for his dance recital for weeks before he received the cancer diagnosis.

IN THIS ISSUE A Dog with a Degree in Healing Comfort .......... 2 Kids Helping Kids ............................................. 3 Three Ways YOU Make a Difference ................ 3

He immediately began an intense round of inpatient chemotherapy that would last a month.

Despite the toll chemotherapy was taking on his body, Gavin kept dancing!

He continued to practice his routine in the hospital, even performing it in full costume for his nurses.

It takes a strong kid with an incredible spirit to dance through cancer treatment. But it also takes a special place like Children’s Colorado to keep that spirit soaring.

With multiple complex medical concerns, Gavin visits Children’s Colorado several times a month. But, says Frankie, “As soon as he arrives, he just comes to life. He loves the staff.”

Child life programs like Seacrest Studios – a state-of-the-art radio and TV studio in our hospital that brings interactive and fun programming to patients – help make Gavin’s hospital visits stressful.

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A Dog with a Degree in Healing Comfort Sometimes, a furry friend is just what the doctor ordered… literally!

His name is Ralph MD, but he’s not a doctor.

Ralph is a golden retriever, and the MD stands for Medical Dog. However, Ralph does have an advanced “degree” – he started training at just six days old and has worked with children in hospital settings for five years already. And just like our doctors and nurses, he has an important job helping to care for the kids at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Research has confirmed again and again that animal-assisted therapy has clinical benefits for hospital patients – including stabilizing blood pressure, diminishing pain, reducing anxiety and even encouraging communication.

And Ralph is just one example of what makes Children’s Colorado so special. He makes the hospital a little more comfortable, a little more like home – and that goes a long way in improving not only patients’ experiences, but also their health outcomes.

Expertly paired with clinically trained team members, hospital dogs like Ralph provide a gentle, calming presence during stressful moments for patients and their families.

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Ralph can soothe patients during procedures, encourage kids who aren’t feeling well to get up and move around and comfort kids who have experienced trauma. He even gets children to smile and play!

It’s no wonder Ralph is in high demand. He and his partner, certified child life specialist Kizzy Marco, stay busy visiting dozens of patients every week.

To request a visit from Ralph, doctors have to have a clinical goal in mind. Ralph also visits Seacrest Studios and the Patricia Crown Family T(w)een Zone each week.

You don’t have to take our word for it though – anyone who has seen this gentle, four-legged creature interacting with the kids will tell you he is a priceless member of the staff. You can see it for yourself in the faces of the children pictured here.

With the help of donors like you, we hope to add more “Doggie MDs” to our program and touch the lives of even more patients and families.

To read more stories of courageous patients, go to ChildrensColoradoFoundation.org/why-give/stories/

Kids Helping Kids Two Friends Show: How a Little (Play) Dough Can Make a Big Difference Dalilah and Lesly made a bold claim with their middle school community service project: “Just one dollar can make a difference.”

But it’s true! Just $1 has the power to make a child not only happier but healthier… with *Play-Doh! Play-Doh is used by the child life therapy team and occupational therapists at Children’s Colorado to help patients work on fine motor skills – all while having fun. Dalilah and Lesly learned that supplies like Play-Doh aren’t covered by insurance. They wanted to ensure that patients have an outlet for creative expression, which helps kids heal faster.

So the girls set up a fundraising page on Children’s Hospital Colorado’s online crowdfunding platform and shared it with friends and family members, bringing their network together to help exceed their goal – raising an amazing $529 to make a lasting impact on other kids!

We’re grateful for caring kids like Dalilah and Lesly – and for YOU! Together, we’re better! *Play-Doh is a licensed product of Hasbro

Three Ways YOU Make a Difference You help Children’s Hospital Colorado treat more children than any other hospital in the region – nearly a quarter of a million kids each year. Here’s how donors like you support health, hope and healing for our patients...

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Cutting-edge Research – The research you support shapes the future of pediatric healthcare. That means we can provide groundbreaking new treatments and therapies years before they are available anywhere else.

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Hiring the Best of the Best – Your gifts help us recruit and retain exceptional caregivers – the stars of their respective fields whose innovations help kids in our own backyard and around the globe. You give parents peace of mind knowing their child is in the very best hands.

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Coordinated Care – In the past, children with complex medical conditions made separate appointments with each specialist, requiring lots of trips to the hospital. But thanks to donors like you, Children’s Colorado is now home to one of the largest Multidisciplinary Clinics in the country.

With super-sized exam rooms, multiple play areas and high-tech teleconferencing equipment, we offer patients a full spectrum of coordinated treatment – all on one day, in one welcoming space.

Thank you for helping Children’s Colorado provide outstanding clinical care that enables kids to thrive and reach their fullest potential!

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Your generosity keeps kids like Gavin, and their families, smiling (continued) When Gavin was in isolation during chemotherapy, he played along with the live games that the studio broadcast, and he always stops by Seacrest Studios when visiting the hospital for follow-up visits. “It gives him something to look forward to,” says his mom.

It’s all part of our holistic approach to caring for patients, as well as their families. “When Gavin was first diagnosed with cancer, the child life team came in and asked, ‘How can we support Gavin’s siblings?’” Frankie remembers. It’s why I love Children’s Hospital Colorado. They support the whole family.”

And in case you’re wondering about his dance recital, Gavin was discharged from the hospital just in time for the show. He arrived at the theater wearing a hospital mask with his costume to protect his weakened immune system. Gavin was pushed in a wheelchair to the stage steps, and he was so weak he had to crawl up the stairs. But then, something extraordinary happened.

returned over the summer.

Frankie says she was devastated when she learned Gavin had relapsed, but she feels hopeful knowing that her son will get the best care possible as he continues his courageous fight.

The road ahead for Gavin remains uncertain.

However, with the patient-centered care you support, Gavin is not alone.

“He is this light. People are just drawn to him,” Frankie says.

Thank you for helping Children’s Colorado keep Gavin’s light shining strong. With your support, this amazing boy will continue smiling through cancer and beyond.

To the audience’s amazement, Gavin found the energy to perform the full dance before collapsing back into his wheelchair immediately afterward. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

The standing ovation was incredible,” Frankie says.

SMILING THROUGH UNCERTAINTY Gavin already beat cancer once. Now, he’s bravely battling leukemia for the second time.

After four years of being in remission, his cancer

Follow us: @ChildrensColoradoFoundation Anschutz Medical Campus 13123 E. 16th Avenue, Box 045, Aurora, CO 80045 www.ChildrensColoradoFoundation.org/helpkids

@givechildrensco @givechildrensco