Sick Kids Hospital

Indira and I had spent a lot of time (virtually all of our time) trying to be with and help Melodina for the last years of her life. It was hard, it was sad, it was inspirational in many ways. Melodina was amazing so were the other cancer kids. They are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. I would not give up a minute of it. Indira and I were talking about the cancer kids with a doctor when we visited the Hospital for Sick Children today. We all agreed that, as a group, they are, in many inspirational ways, the most positively awesome children we have ever encountered anywhere.

It was only the second time we had been back to the hospital since Melodina passed away. We left some information that we hope will help the hospital to improve its service to the children and the families it serves. It is a wonderful thing that Sick Kids is constantly trying to improve the way they do things. They're not perfect but they do try to always improve and that is the sign of a great institution.

After Melodina died there was a period when I was quite lost regarding purpose in my life. It wasn't that I had a loss of faith; I just couldn't function well and it was hard to understand what to do now. I still have days like that but generally three projects have helped me past feelings of hopelessness. I have decided that Melodina's story is important, ongoing and inspirational. Therefore I continue to update this Blog. Our family has decided to try to use our experience to help the Hospital to improve the way they do things with a particular focus on the kids and their families. Third, as a family we are involved in fundraising for research into childhood illness, particularly cancer.

So we went to the hospital today knowing that it would be difficult but feeling that we should. I delivered the information I had brought with me to the mail room and then we went looking to people we know. We met and talked happily with some of the hospital staff. It was good to see people who had cared deeply about Melodina. We exchanged some e-mails and phone numbers. We learned that some children we knew were in the hospital - some very sick - others just there for routine follow up. We first went to the oncology clinic and saw a young boy who is doing very well. The idea that Melodina might have been attending the clinic was, however, very hard. We saw great nurses and kind doctors and we went to one of the wards that Melodina had spent a lot of time on and talked to both children and parents, some of whom needed encouragement and strength. Its a hard life for the whole family on a childhood cancer ward.

All in all it was a difficult but good day. We spent time with some beautiful people and we faced some of our own difficulties. People who suffer and those who serve the ones who suffer are a very meaningful part of this life.