Greg

Twenty years ago, Children’s National Medical Center saved my life.  I survived a ruptured brain aneurysm at the age of 3 that left my right side neurologically damaged.  My mobility, dexterity, sensations, and strength are permanently impaired, but I have refused to let my disability dictate the life I live.  I have overcome my disability to the degree that nobody can tell that I have survived such a traumatic event.  I now run marathons to prove to everybody, with or without disabilities, what a brain aneurysm survivor can accomplish through sheer determination.

Children’s Hospital was a significant reason for not only how I have come as far as I have, but for the person I have become as well. 

I remember the nurses helping to transport me to the playroom so that I could get out of my room.  The hospital attendants gave my mom permission to stay overnight so that she could stay by my side.  They allowed it without hesitation.  The loving environment at Children’s is unmatched.

I remember loving my lunch trip to the cafeteria -- as much as people complain about hospital food.  I loved it, sitting at the table with my Dad and then taking my tray to the conveyor belt, always wondering where my tray went.

I remember my routine trips to visit this elderly woman, who I deemed “the sticker lady,” every time I had to come in for a monthly check-up or CAT scan.  She had a tin full of stickers -- cartoons, scratch ‘n sniff, etc.  I smiled every time I got to see her.

I remember these lime green domed chairs in the main area of the hospital that I would spin in secretly when my parents weren’t looking.  It complemented the Kelley green carpet that made the hospital feel like a home.

I remember this wall of television screens that had interactive games that I would play with other kids waiting to see my neurosurgeon for my monthly check-up.

And I remember Dr. Dennis Johnson, the man who saved my life, and how we began each appointment with a handshake -- always with the right hand.  He never raised his voice at me and has always been impressed by how far I have come.

Children’s Hospital has literally given me everything, and now I am finding ways to give back.  In 1990, I was the poster boy for a telethon to raise money for the hospital, and the theme of the telethon was “Help Make a Miracle Happen.”  By supporting Children’s Hospital, I believe I’m helping the doctors, nurses, and staff make miracles happen every day.