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I am honored to participate as a Children's Champion in partnership with the Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon. As many of you know, in April 2018, our lives were turned upside down when our oldest son Luke had a rare reaction to strep, developed pneumonia, and ultimately went into septic shock. He is still with us today because of the amazing and truly life-changing work of the staff, nurses, and doctors at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
And while our story and my passion for giving back to the Hospital started there, I have seen again and again how blessed we are to have NCH nearby. My two younger sons thankfully have not needed the PICU or the continued orthopedic, physical therapy, and physical medicine support that Luke needs. But each has their own story of care from NCH -- Cameron and Trevor have both needed blood work, x-rays, urgent care, and Trevor sees a pulmonologist for potential asthma. I have family and friends whose kids have needed NCH for all types of care - broken bones, the NICU, neurology, oncology, etc. Big or small, routine or complex, NCH is there.
In fact, NCH isn't just there, they live out their mission with every patient -- "when your child needs a hospital, everything matters." One way they do that is through services through Child Life. Child Life Specialists are pediatric healthcare professionals trained to help children and families cope with challenges faced during hospitalization or illnesses through services such as art and music therapy, therapeutic play, developmentally appropriate education, and more. Personally, I've heard how Child Life has brought joy to one of my best friends kiddos as he undergoes chemotherapy and several extended hospital stays. NCH doesn't just care about treating the physical concern, they care about the kids as a whole and their families.
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