Imagine facing the fight of your life with your child’s diagnosis of cancer or another life-threatening illness, wondering how to pay the bills when you lose income to be with your sick child in the hospital..
Then of course Christmas is coming, but it doesn’t feel like a real Christmas with treatments, appointments and hospitalizations over the holiday season. Some friends who typically visit are staying away this year; they are uncomfortable, don’t know how to handle this diagnosis, don’t want to frighten their kids when their good friend looks so sick with tubes sticking out of them.
For many families, this is the unfortunate reality of being diagnosed over the Christmas season. Those with family out of town usually cannot go visit because they can no longer afford to; some have medical appointments during Christmas. It is a particularly lonely and sad time of the year for many patient families, especially children. This is where we come in at Shine Through the Rain Foundation.
We have the most beautiful event to address the devastating social, emotional and financial toll diagnosis takes on patient families this time of year –The Pediatric Christmas Party!
This will likely be the only time the kids get to visit Santa and attend a Christmas Party. For some, it will be their only Christmas celebration, as they will be in the hospital – hardly a proper Christmas. Seeing the children be regular kids again is priceless. Parents are brought to tears of joy because they have some normality for one memorable evening.
