Amanda was a 13 year old with a Wilmes Tumor progressive
in spite of all therapy. She knew that she was dying when she made this
anagram expressing her positive attitude towards life.
F -- Faith
L --Love
I -- Intelligence
G--Grit
H -Hope
T --Truth
When she was first diagnosed with cancer, she told her mother,
“This will build character.” It certainly did. The editor of
her school newspaper, in a tribute to her, stated that one definition
of flight is “a passing beyond ordinary limits” and that is
what Amanda did with grace.
Amanda taught me the real meaning of courage.
Russell is now a teenager but as
a small child he had a sickle crisis with infection. He developed gangrene
of the hands and feet and amputation of both hands and both feet was required.
Russell and his mother are two of the most positive individuals I have
ever known. Russell draws, paints, rides a bicycle, and skates. He also
plays a musical instrument. He has graduated from high school and plans
to attend the School of Arts in order to become a designer.
Russell and his mother taught me the power of positive thinking
and adaptability.
Jamie is now a teenager finishing high school. As a young
girl she had a huge teratoma of the ovary and had gliomatosis peritonii-
that is she had implants of brain tissue in her peritoneal cavity. Many
procedures and chemotherapy were required. She showed her gratitude by
writing a book for second graders to acquaint them with the hospital.
In a term paper which she wrote about her illness, she details the assaults
on her body, on her dignities and her feeling of lack of control in the
hospital. She wrote: “Although it was not pleasant, I feel I am a
better person because of my ordeal. It not only made me grow up, it made
me grow.”
Isaac Newton expressed his gratitude to those who preceded
him by writing: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the
shoulders of giants.”
Jamie taught us to be thankful.
Tyler was born with a large lymphangioma involving the entire
left leg, which then progressed to involve almost his entire body. He
has had multiple operations including amputation of his left leg. He remains
an enthusiastic little boy. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “Nothing great
was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Tyler is now on Interferon
and doing well.
Tyler taught us the power of the human spirit.
What have these children taught us are they fought their medical battles:
Courage in the face of impending death; Hope for the future as a quadruple
amputee; Gratitude for the character formed through suffering; and Enthusiasm
for life in spite of recurrent life threatening complications.
What can we learn from our young patients. A LOT.
H. Biemann Othersen, Jr., M.D.
Medical University of South Carolina
(Excerpts from President’s Message,
American Association of Pediatric Surgeons)
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