Submitted on June 23,2008 by Cancer Mom Dear Laurelhurst... a mother's perspective
How wonderful it must be to be able to live in such a nice neighborhood, a place of rest and respite from this busy city, a place one can feel safe from the world at the end of the day & where one can rejuvenate and gain strength for yet another day. How wonderful it must be to be able to live in the neighborhood you call home.
My home is also in a nice neighborhood… it’s 5 hours from here. Unfortunately we don't always get to live there. We have to live in yours instead. We live in yours while we fight for our child’s life. We live here while Children's Hospital fights for our child’s life.
Below is a poem I ran across one of those endless nights on the internet… searching through pediatric cancer websites, trying to find a bit of hope in a story about some kid who survived the kind of cancer my child has…. the kind of cancer that has taken the lives of 3 little kids in my community since my own child’s diagnosis. It may not change what you think about the hospital’s expansion and what that does to your view or that 1 mile stretch of your commute, but I hope it opens your heart… just a little.
I HOPE (author unknown)
I hope you never have to hear the words "Your child has cancer".
I hope you never have to hear "The prognosis is not good".
I hope you never have to watch your child prepare to undergo chemo, have a "port" surgically implanted in their chest, be connected to an IV pole, look at you with fear in their eyes and say, "Don't worry Mom, it's going to be okay."
I hope you never have to hold your child while they vomit green bile.
I hope you never have to feed them ice chips for lunch.
I hope you never have to watch the "cure" you pray for, slowly take away your child's identity, as they loose their hair, become skeletal, develop severe acne, become barely able to walk or move, and look at you with hope in their eyes and say, "It's going to be okay Mom". I hope you never have to stay in the hospital for weeks at a time, where there is no privacy, sleeping on a slab, your face to the wall, where you cry in muffled silence.
I hope you never have to see a mother, alone, huddled in a dark hospital corridor, crying quietly, after just being told "there's nothing more we can do". I hope you never have to watch a family, wandering aimlessly, minutes after their child's body has been removed. I hope you never have to use every bit of energy you have left, with all of this going on around you, to remain positive and the feelings of guilt, sorrow, hope and fear overwhelm you.
I hope you never have to see your child's head bolted to a table while he receives radiation.
I hope that you never know what it is like to take your child home, (grateful but so afraid) in a wheelchair because the chemo has damaged their muscles, 35 pounds lighter, pale, bald and scarred. And they look at you with faith in their eyes and say, "It's going to be okay Mom".
I hope you never have to face the few friends that have stuck by you and hear them say, "Thank God it's all over" because you know it will never be over. Your life becomes a whirl of doctors, blood tests and MRI's, and you try to get your life back to normal while living in mind numbing fear that any one of these tests could result in hearing the dreaded words: "The cancer has returned". And your friends become even fewer.
I hope you never have to experience any of these things, because only then, will you understand.
Submitted on June 18,2008 by Marcel van Zuylen As a resident of Viewridge I support the expansion option 7 (Lauralon Terrace option.) I too am dismayed at the Lauralhurst Community Club constant opposition after all the mitigation the hospital has offered. Have they forgotten the word 'community' in their own name? Option 7 mitigates the height, saves views, adds buffers, addresses traffic concerns, and saves mid-level housing, plus much more. The Hospital has been a great neighbor, and continues to be a source of pride for our entire region. I'm more worried about the impact of an expanded U-Village on traffic and congestion. Children first, things second!
Submitted on May 21,2008 by Adam Tratt I recently attended a CAC Meeting to learn about Children’s latest proposal and plans for traffic mitigation. During the meeting I was inspired to hear about Children’s flex-bike program, shuttle service, improved METRO service, and other steps that are proposed to mitigate traffic and neighborhood impact. It made me wonder why other companies and institutions are not held to similar standards.
I was also struck by the lopsided representation of opinion during the public comment segment of the agenda. Aside from a few lonely voices of support for Children’s, the majority of speakers continue to harp on concerns over traffic and how construction will impact the neighborhood. Listening to my neighbors speak, I was alarmed to see how the hospital was implicated in a generation of poor city/traffic planning. Yes, Seattle has grown quickly and our infrastructure is strained under the weight of that growth, but the idea that Children’s is responsible for solving every traffic problem in NE Seattle is complete lunacy.
I’m grateful that friendsofchildrens.org is providing a forum for rallying the majority of citizens who put care of the region’s children first and I’d like to call on members of this group to get involved in the CAC meetings so that our voice can be heard.
Submitted on May 20,2008 by Tricia Skinner I would suggest a skybridge from 40th Ave NE across Sandpoint Way to the Hartman Building for the safety and convenience of the neighborhood. This could also be a way for bikers to safely access the Burke Gilman Bike trail. Thanks!
Submitted on May 20,2008 by David Miller I recently had the good fortune to work with Jim Copacino, founder of Seattle based ad agency Copacino + Fukikado, and creator of the brand advertising campaign for Children's Hospital.
By now you may have seen the work, the powerful imagery, the stirring piano chords. Moving stuff.
Perhaps most important is the key message that the campaign leaves with us about Children's. "What could be more important?"
I know we all live busy lives. I know we've all got on a lot of work and concern on our plates: The economy. The election. The school auction. Careers. Scheduling summer camps. Home projects. (Finding my dern cell phone. Ugh!)
But as I am often reminded – every time I think I have a bad day or don't want to deal with something – someone's kid has just been admitted to Children's Hospital. Someone just told their own kid "You have cancer." In proper perspective, many of us have nothing to complain about. Nothing.
In the coming weeks and months, Seattle Children's Hospital will further its case with the City of Seattle to develop its facility in North Seattle. Understandably, some people were concerned about those plans, early-on. But over time, the reasonable concerns of neighbors were heard and addressed by Children's. The process has been honest and thoughtful - and the mitigations have been considerable and fair.
However, there remains a small, isolated and vocal group that opposes Children's plans.
The plans that Children's will likely propose to the City are obviously needed and so obviously reasonable. The proposed solution appears so obvious – that one might assume that Children's doesn't need our continued advocacy and support. This is a slam dunk, right?
No – unfortunately – This is Seattle, where Process is a bigger part of economic GDP and export than software, coffee and airplanes.
So - we can't sit on the fence with this. We can't assume.
If you live in North Seattle, don't let a few vocal neighbors define the value and priorities of our community. Seattle Children's essential function is tied to its facilities. Seattle Children's is a vanguard organization serving children who suffer from illness, injury and disease. As Seattle Children's cares for kids in our city, state, region and beyond – it isn't simply a "Laurelhurst" issue.
The ability for Children's to proceed with strategic, planned and managed growth is more than a zoning issue. It is a healthcare access issue, it is an economic security issue, it has implications on global health.
It is an issue of social justice.
Despite the clatter and din of our daily lives, let's remember the poignant message of the Childrens' campaign. Nothing - nothing - could be more important than the health and welfare of our children.
In the coming months, please find time to become more informed, more visible and more vocal in your support for Children's growth initiative. We can't assume the City Council "get's it."....
