Video: Saving a Child Preserving a Childhood

It takes a village to heal a child. Funded entirely by generous donors, our psychosocial team of art therapists, child life specialists, social workers, child psychologists, a music therapist, an educational specialist, and a teen coordinator are not only helping children survive their cancer, but thrive in spite of it. Successful cancer treatment isn’t just about delivering the medications. It’s about helping children remain alongside their peers and continue to develop mind and spirit as the body fights cancer. “We never want to lose sight of the fact that we have ballerinas and basketball players, and princesses and superheroes in our halls,” said Amanda Thompson, PhD, medical director for patient services. “We have teenagers who hope they can attend their prom and apply to college. We find ourselves lucky to be in that position where we can support those hopes and dreams, where we can support a childhood.” Children battling cancer often require one to two years of treatment, and kids facing a transplant are hospitalized for one or two months, and sometimes longer. During their stay, the team’s holistic care has proven to increase life expectancy and dramatically improve the quality of life for many kids. “We feel so incredibly blessed and fortunate that Rylie has received the absolute best care possible from Children’s National" said Rylie's mom, Tracie Richards. "For everything that they’ve done for my child, and so many others, I will be forever grateful.”