Have you ever noticed how incredible kids’ spirits are and how they have the ability to handle incredible stress with an unbelievable amount of grace?  Try spending one day in my shoes, and I guarantee you’ll notice. I work at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, one of the top centers in the country treating kids with cancer. In my time there, I have met the most incredible kids and I’m inspired by them every single day.
 
These kids have to grow up quickly, and because of this, they gain an appreciation for life. To them, every day is a blessing and no day is taken for granted.  It’s an amazing and inspiring attitude. And I get to be around these kids every single day!  
 
I’ve been going to Camp Periwinkle for 23 years, and I’ve watched some of the sickest kids go to camp there, and some of them pull through and come back as counselors. Some don’t, of course.  But all of the kids touch us and change us as doctors. I had one patient, Blake, who was 7 years old and wanted to go to camp so badly.  He had no chance of long-term survival, but we were worried that at camp he could get injured and his time would be cut even shorter.  His parents wanted him to have this amazing experience though, and they let him go.  The second-to-last night, he had lumps coming up in his chest, and he turned to me and asked, “Are those my tumors?” And I said to him, “I don’t know, but at camp it really doesn’t matter.”  He fell asleep with the most peaceful look on his face.  He didn’t live much longer unfortunately, but I’ll never forget that look.  Helping a child with cancer feel happy and safe – even for a second -- is what it’s all about.
 
And when you can actually cure a child, well that is just the best feeling in the world. As the Medical Director of the Long-Term Survivor Program at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, I rely on the fact that we cure 75% of the children we see and I look forward to seeing these kids get better. There’s nothing more rewarding than a visit or Christmas card from a survivor who is happily pursuing their dreams.  Watching a past patient become a happy, healthy adult makes my work the most rewarding work in the world to me!  The personal relationships that I form with the kids and their families keep me going.  I recently had a former patient come see me who was 7 when we diagnosed her with leukemia.  She relapsed at 14, but now she is a 30-year old woman who is not only healthy – she’s pregnant!  No one would have ever imagined, but it’s those stories that make me realize I have the best job.
 
Each child is special, and each one deserves the best chance at a full life.  The love that these kids and their families have makes me want to provide the best care possible for them. I can only dream that one day we will find a permanent cure for childhood cancer.