Lots of things happeing

I haven't posted in a few days. I have been working on a "project" that I didn't really want to mention until I knew for sure if something was gonna happen. Plus other than my project I haven't had anything really to report. Which I guess is a good thing at least I am not sick (knock on wood!)

Our friends Curt and Karen finally closed on there house and moved out last weekend. Its nice but sad too, they have been her for 8 months so I got used to having them around...plus I have become really close with Karen so I miss her! It's ok though they literally moved 3 minutes away from us! and believe me we haven't seen Curt ANY less he has been over everyday this week! LOL :)

Now for my project news.

As most of you know from my many hospital postings I am usually admitted to the pediatrics floor because I still have the same doctor from when I was a kid. The last couple of times I have been admitted (lets be honest its been a lot this past year) I have really noticed how run down the peds floor looks. To my recollection the only things that have been done since it opened (in 1995) was paint and they switched the hallway floor to linoleum instead of carpet. So its taken quite a beating over the years.

This last admission I was talking to Kelly who is the child life specialist at the hospital and I was asking her why it was that Peds Oncology was always so nice while normal pediatrics was like the red headed step child of the children's hospital. She informed me that there was a foundation set up by a girl's parents after she passed away from cancer that raises money every year and that money goes to peds oncology to keep it updated and looking nice and to buy anything the floor needs for the kids.

Well that got me thinking and I was kind of annoyed. I understand that having cancer as a kid must suck and they want to make there time in the hospital as nice as possible but there are plenty of kids with other illnesses that spend just as much time if not more on the regular peds floor as some kids in oncology and if you saw the difference between the two floors you would be appalled.

So when my mom came to see me in the hospital I told her what I had learned and told her that I wanted to start a foundation and raise money for peds so that it could get a "face lift" and be a nice place for these kids (and young adults) who spend so much time there. Well if anybody knows my mom you know that she is a go getter and that's all I needed to say for her to get the ball rolling!

Long story short and FF 3 weeks....we now have Jen's Kids formed and with the help of my moms awesome Rotary club we are working on getting the money together to actually fix up the hospital and I am super excited about it! We are going in a couple weeks to tour the hospital so everyone on the Jen's Kids committee can see the world of difference between peds onc and peds. I will keep you guys posted on the progress and I am hoping they will let me take pictures of the before and after so you guys can see the improvements we do along the way!!

Oh and....I get to help pick out what I want it to look like (with the help of the hospital's interior designer of course) isn't that cool??

I am just SO glad I am getting an opportunity to do this....the nurses and staff are so awesome on peds (with the exception of a few who I won't mention) and have taken such good care of me it makes me feel good that I can make this happen and all the little CFers out there and other kids who spend time there deserve a nice place as well. We all know first hand that being in the hospital is not fun AT LEAST they should have a nice place to be without broken everything!!

OK well have a great weekend everyone!! :)