Dr. Salman, a pediatric oncologist at The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, a member of Together for Kids, told Ben’s mom, Sandie, to go home, pack a bag and bring Ben back to the hospital. He was admitted that night and stayed for 21 days, the remainder of the holiday season.
Sandie says that it was not just the medical training and expertise Dr. Salman and his team provided, but their compassion, love and support that gave Ben the courage he needed to fight cancer with such bravery. Dr. Salman recalls a particularly powerful moment when Ben awoke from a four-hour surgery. When asked by Dr. Salman how he felt, three-year-old Ben, on the brink of death and still stirring from a risky surgery, simply gave his doctor a thumbs up.
Today, more than 10 years later, Ben is cancer free and focused on the important things in life: God, family, health and friendship. Over the years Ben and his family have experienced a terrifying diagnosis and a range of emotions; but the countless acts of kindness and care they also experienced set Together for Kids hospitals like The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida apart in their ability to care for kids. I hope the children in your life will never need to set foot in a children’s hospital. But if they do, I want to ensure they have access to the same level of care that helped Ben beat cancer.
That’s why I support Together for Kids and you can too. Make a donation online tonight by visiting www.togetherforkids.org or call 1-855-UR4-KIDS. Together we can give every child every chance to live a healthy life.
