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While we rightfully acknowledge and applaud the doctors and nurses who care for the precious patients we serve, they aren’t the only members of the healthcare team who work so hard to return children to health. This month, we celebrate two important members of the team who don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

March is Social Work Month, and a social worker is an essential resource for a family fighting pediatric cancer. Kristin Frazier has been a social worker at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for 11 years. Her focus is on children fighting leukemia or lymphoma, and she works with families from the moment of diagnosis.

“Our primary role is to provide emotional support,” Kristin said. “It’s hard to think clearly when you’ve just been told your child has cancer. So I will visit with them often in the beginning to act as a bridge between the medical team and the family to make sure they understand the plan.”

Balancing life and cancer treatment can be a nightmare, so the second aspect of the social workers’ job is logistical. Families have to quickly learn how to manage things such as school for the patient and siblings, insurance, work, and finances. Social workers connect families with resources needed to cope with all of these newfound pressures. CURE is one of those resources.

“The cost of cancer treatment is so high it can affect a family of any income level,” said Kristin. “CURE is responsive to any need we identify, from emergency financial assistance to lodging and counseling. Being able to reduce the stress of a family in treatment is huge.”

Kristin said the ultimate win in her job is seeing a child finish treatment and ring the bell. But even during tough days, there are things that encourage her.

“Seeing a child who pushes through things that are really hard or watching a family come together to make difficult decisions is gratifying.”

March is also National Child Life Month. A child life specialist wears many hats in the patient journey. Becca Doobrow has been a child life specialist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for four years. As a youngster, she raised money for children fighting cancer and knew she wanted her life’s work to be in pediatric oncology.

According to Becca, there are five main roles that the child life specialist plays.

1. Decrease anxiety and fear when a patient is admitted and to help normalize the hospital setting through play and therapeutic activities.
2. Help children cope through medical procedures and provide a distraction as the procedure gets started.
3. Make a child feel empowered by explaining their diagnosis and treatment in terms they can understand.
4. Help connect siblings throughout the hospital experience, which has been incredibly difficult during the pandemic.
5. Provide bereavement and legacy-building opportunities for parents should the worst happen.

“Watching a child you’ve been working with since diagnosis ring the bell is incredibly fulfilling,” Becca said. “But it is very rewarding when I help a child who is really scared about a procedure cope with their anxiety.”

Ultimately, her goal is for the patient to gain the skills to cope with procedures and treatments on their own. Even if the child can cope, there is still room for a child life specialist.

“I try to be a consistent part of the patient’s treatment,” Becca said. “I want to do one fun little thing with all of my patients every day to bring them up.”

There are many members of the team that make sick children well. This month, we recognize and thank the social workers and child life specialists who work with the patients and families we serve.

Hank Steed’s college career started off with a bang. Early in his second semester, Hank began suffering from a headache. When it lingered a couple of days, he decided he should get a COVID test. As the pain intensified, he went to an urgent care facility that sent him on to the emergency room.

Hank attends Mercer University in Macon, which is about two and a half hours away from his hometown of Bowdon, Georgia. Since he was alone, his father, Noah, was advising text while he waited to see what was wrong.

“The hospital ran a few tests and everything came back okay except they told him his white blood cell count was elevated,” said Noah. “While he was waiting for more results, he got word that his COVID test was negative. At that point I got in the car to be with him because I knew we were looking at something more serious than a headache.”

As soon as Noah arrived at the hospital, a hematologist sat he and Hank down and told them that Hank had t-cell leukemia. Due to his age, Hank was transferred to an adult hospital in Atlanta to begin treatment. But this form of leukemia is typically considered a childhood disease. So on the advice of their family doctor, Hank and his family opted to accept an offer to transfer to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“It’s a little weird being in a children’s hospital,” laughed Hank. “But because of COVID, I would have had to go through treatment alone at the adult hospital. I don’t think I could have handled that. Sometimes it’s nice to be treated like a kid, and this is definitely one of those times.”

As he started treatment, the family moved from shock into fight posture.

“I knew right away that I wanted to get after leukemia, and not just my case,” said Hank. “I want to get after it for every kid.”

As friends and neighbors asked how they could help, Hank decided to raise money by selling t-shirts. His hometown community and friends in college bought more than 400 of them, raising $3000. Since he met CURE while being served meals in the hospital, Hank planned on donating the money until his father had another idea.

“I explained the concept of leverage to Hank,” Noah said. “I told him that he could donate that money, or he could use it to make more money by issuing a challenge to our community to match their donations up to $3000.”

Hank’s fraternity brothers & little sisters

So Hank issued the challenge and reached his goal almost immediately!

“It’s been insane,” Hank said. “We keep getting donations from friends, family, schools, and even complete strangers. Our community has been great. Just seeing all the love and support we are getting is overwhelming at times.”

Hank finally got to go home after his initial hospital stay. He had to withdraw from school because of his diagnosis and has a long treatment ahead. His treatment calls for intensive chemo for 6-8 months, but he is hopeful that he’ll be well enough to re-enroll in school in the fall. Until then, he’ll have some time to work on plans to beat leukemia for good!

Anna Hanger was an extraordinary young woman, wise beyond her years and generous beyond words. In June 2003, Anna was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Her treatment was long and hard, and she suffered many complications which caused her to be hospitalized for the better part of a year. While she achieved remission in 2004, it was short lived, and her cancer returned just months later. Doctors told her family there was no further treatment for Anna and urged her parents to quickly take a Make-A-Wish trip due to Anna’s poor prognosis and their concern that her quality of life would begin to decline quickly.

Anna and her parents did take a “final” trip. Anna was scheduled to have surgery two days after they returned. Prior to surgery Anna had an MRI. With tears in her eyes, Anna’s doctor shared the incredible results: Anna’s tumor was shrinking. Anna’s tumor continued to shrink over the next year. Although she remained cancer-free for many years, Anna faced several challenges in her young life.

No one would have blamed Anna if she became sad and angry as a result of her limitations and very serious challenges caused by the brain cancer and treatment. But that just wasn’t Anna. From the time she was diagnosed and received an outpouring of love and support, including gifts and cards from family and friends, Anna became very aware of the other children at the hospital who were not getting the same kind of support. It touched Anna deeply and was very hard for her to accept. In spite of the fact that Anna was almost completely deaf, had severe scoliosis from radiation treatments, significant balance issues, loss of feeling on one side of her face, and many other permanent disabilities, she became obsessed with finding a way to help the other children with cancer. The idea of Anna’s Angel Fund was born.

When people asked what they could do for her or what gifts they could bring her, Anna suggested they make a donation to her Angel Fund instead.

The Angel Fund gave Anna a way to help the children who touched her heart and also became something positive for her to focus on while facing her own battles every day. Anna maintained this fund for years, and of course, she insisted that all of her financial aid and gifts be made anonymously. Over the years, Anna raised and gave away more than $600,000 to children and families whose lives had been devastated by pediatric cancer. Anna found joy every day in making her gift of life count for other children. The fund was eventually retired, but Anna never stopped caring about and working to make life better for children with cancer.

In June 2019, Anna’s cancer returned, and she passed away in August 2020. Her parents, Larry and Lisa, recently faced their first Thanksgiving without their precious daughter. They drew on her grateful spirit and generous heart to get through.

“Throughout Anna’s life, and especially during her battle with cancer, we’ve expressed just how precious it has been to embrace gratitude,” Lisa shared. “Even now as we face the hardest days of our lives and struggle to learn to live without Anna, gratitude and grace sustain us.”

It is in that same spirit that her family has revived Anna’s Angel Fund as a Named Fund of CURE. All funds received will be directed towards CURE’s patient and family support programs.

“Reviving Anna’s Angel Fund is what Anna would want,” Lisa said. “Donations to the fund are directed toward CURE’s patient and family support programs because families fighting cancer are trapped in thoughts of mounting bills, loneliness, and fear of what the future holds. Through the generosity of its supporters, Anna’s Angel Fund will be a much-needed rain on their terribly parched hearts. In that way, our sweet Anna will still be making life better for children with cancer and their families.”

My wife sat at her laptop furiously compiling the lists for our four girls. She checked it once, then again while travelling to website after website scouring the internet for the best price and delivery. Items were added to baskets and carts checked out at such a frantic pace that I literally felt a warmth emanate from the credit card in my back pocket. Shopping at a fever pitch – Christmas delivered in two days or less. Not like most years, where she disappears for hours on end to find the perfect gift at the mall. She didn’t have time for that because we got cancer for Christmas.

We didn’t ask for it. It wasn’t circled in a catalog or written in red crayon. No one sat on Santa’s lap and begged for it. No, cancer just showed up unannounced and took our year away. So rather than spending quality time with each of the girls to weigh their enormous wants against our limited budget as in years past, my wife spent Saturday morning hunting and pecking under great duress. Do they have the right size? Will it be delivered on time? Is that really something she will use, or should we just give her cash?

At some point during the madness, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She paused to consider. Her eyes got red and her mouth failed her. She didn’t answer, but I knew. I knew what she wanted the second I asked the question. It was the only thing either of us wanted.

We wanted our baby to stop hurting. We wanted her to stop having to face treatments that made her sick and waste away. We wanted her legs to work. We wanted her hair to grow back so people wouldn’t stare at her.

But giving cancer back wasn’t an option for us that year, so we worked hard to navigate cancer treatment and the holidays together. Did you get cancer for Christmas? From our experience, here are five things you can do to make your family’s holiday season as bright as possible.

• Keep as many holiday traditions as you can. Much loved traditions remind us of better times when the current situation is not the way we would want it.
• Take cues from your little patient. If they are ready to celebrate, celebrate hard. If they need to rest, accommodate that.
• Find a balance. Your other children are hurting too, but they need and deserve to have as much normalcy as they can. It is a tough and stressful job to find a balance that allows everyone to have the best holiday possible. But it can be done.
• Be open and get input. If you can find out what is most important to each family member, no one has to lose the things they love best about the holidays.
• Find joy wherever you can. Whether in the giving of special gifts or time spent together, there is always joy to be found if you seek it out.

Dealing with a cancer diagnosis during December certainly puts a damper on holiday spirit. But it doesn’t have to end it altogether. Although it may seem impossible, if you are intentional, you and your family can still have a wonderful holiday.

Effingham County resident, Catie Wilkins was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor on her first birthday. Catie fearlessly fought her cancer, but the chemotherapy compromised her immune system so severely that she succumbed to a common virus before she reached her fifth birthday. In response to this tragedy, a special community has formed that is making a meaningful impact in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Effingham County sits on the Savannah River and while it has grown, it still boasts the small-town feel of its agricultural heritage. It is a place the Wilkins family is proud to call home. In the aftermath of their tragic loss, they knew Catie would want them to help other families, so they founded a Named Fund at CURE in her honor.

“Catie’s treatment was hampered by a lack of available options,” Jenny said. “There has been little research in treating childhood cancers, and our family felt that this needed to change.”

Their community embraced Catie’s Fund from the beginning. This year, the fund surpassed an incredible milestone by raising more than $2 million since its inception. This wouldn’t have been possible without people like James Carlson.

James owns Carlson & Company, and while he has no direct tie to childhood cancer, he has seen local families struggle while going through treatment. He and his company are actively involved in the Catie’s Gathering dinners, the primary fundraisers for Catie’s Fund, and donate event space, tents, and food.

“I’ve watched Catie’s Gathering evolve from hostesses using paper plates and plastic forks to using fine china and silverware,” James laughed. “I’m proud to be a part because of the impact it allows CURE to have in our community.”

The schools in Effingham County have been a huge part of the success of Catie’s Fund. The leadership at Springfield Elementary School wanted to impress upon their students the value of making a difference.

“We had a student who fought cancer, and we wanted to give the kids ways to help,” said teacher, Allison Brand. “Through dress-down days, coin drives, and other fundraisers, we’ve been able to contribute a lot of money. It’s great to see the kids really get into helping other kids.”

Apryl Lee attended a Catie’s Gathering event and felt the need to pitch in. Apryl founded a local SLAM (Sweat Like A Mother) group. This is a community of mothers and their children with a goal of fitness and health. While they celebrate their healthy children, she has used her forum to raise awareness and money for Catie’s Fund.

“I wanted to set an example for my children,” Apryl said. “I want them to know that we do what we can, when we can, to help others.”

Being next door, adding a Catie’s Gathering dinner in Savannah was a natural progression that became a reality in 2013 when Mandy Garola attended the Effingham event while her daughter, Cora, was in treatment. Seven years later, the Savannah Catie’s Gathering continues to thrive and has been supported by individuals and businesses, such as Coastal Electric, which has become the event’s title sponsor.

Thanks to the efforts of friends like Jody Polk, the Catie’s Fund community spread even further. Jody’s daughter, Anna Hays, is a leukemia survivor, and five years ago, Jody brought a Catie’s Gathering dinner to Statesboro. After the death of a local child, Morgan Frison, Jody spoke of what motivates her.

“Morgan’s life held such beautiful potential,” Jody said. “Morgan and children like her are the reason that I will continue to raise funds for CURE and push for less harsh treatments created specifically for children.”

Likewise, longtime friend of the Wilkins family, Angel Shurling, started a Catie’s Gathering event in her hometown of Bryan County four years ago.

“There were two children in our community who were diagnosed with cancer,” Angel said. “Every heart was open to them, and people wanted to make a difference. Catie’s Gathering gave them that chance.”

Thanks to their amazing and ever-growing community, the Wilkins family, Catie’s Fund, and all those involved are making a huge difference in the lives of children fighting cancer today and those yet to be diagnosed. It has become a beautiful legacy for a little girl taken too soon.