This post will be more of a report than an update. Maggie is doing well. She recovered from last week’s infusion quickly and was able to enjoy a big weekend. Her next admission for chemo is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14th. I’ll post a reminder as we draw closer to that day. This will be the first of two reports on the weekend. I want to do both events justice with commentary and photos, so I’ll cover the building ceremony tonight and the Jingle Bell Jog a little later in the week.

This weekend was a momentous one as we participated in the groundbreaking ceremony at Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital and the Jingle Bell Jog 5K/10K/Half-Marathon. The common focus of both Friday and Saturday was on a building to be constructed and a race to raise funds for the Children’s Cancer Clinic. But I couldn’t help thinking the theme running through both days was more about ordinary people doing extraordinary acts to help make a better life for Mississippi’s children. The ceremony brought together many of these. From what we heard, the groundbreaking was hastily planned due to constraints of the general contractor. The Batson/UMMC outdid themselves. Phil said he had never been to a groundbreaking like it (and he’s seen many). It was simply joyous. Maggie joined some other current/former patients to represent all patients. They were given a place of honor to sit and took an active part in the events. It was perfect.

I was one proud Laurel girl with a heart swelling with pride for two hometown heroes. Joe and Kathy Sanderson were recognized at the groundbreaking for their incredible generosity in contributing funds and leading the capital campaign for the new building. Growing up in Laurel, I spent more time at the ballfields watching three older brothers play ball than any place other than church. With a processing facility directly across the interstate, the odor of Sanderson Farms, one of the most evocative of my childhood, was as inescapable as red clay on a white uniform. And, fittingly, it is the smell of hope. In addition to multi-million dollar contributions to Batson and generous giving of their time, the Sanderson family has provided countless flights to people (not just children) to clinics and hospitals for life-saving treatment. Maggie and I flew to MD Anderson on a Sanderson Farms jet. This service is provided at no charge. I had the opportunity to thank Mrs. Sanderson Friday. I don’t feel my words were adequate to convey all the gratitude in my heart. (The Sanderson’s are pictured with shovels over the green sand).

Also present at the ceremony was Maggie’s oncologist, Dr. Anderson Collier. We nearly missed him as he was in his cloak of invisibility white coat. In nearly four years, we’ve never seen him in it! But we may (or may not) see him in it more as he has been chosen to take over direction of the cancer clinic when Dr. Megason steps down in April. We totally agree with the decision. The powers that be saw the same thing we did when we met him in April 2014 and chose him to be Maggie’s primary oncologist. He has an obvious gift for working with children and a passion for tackling some of the toughest cases. He’s never once made Maggie feel anything but totally relaxed and at ease. (I can’t claim that ability about myself and I’m her mother!) His patience – multiply me by the number of his active cases then multiply by the average number of scan reports he has to deliver and questions he has to answer sometimes more than once – is awe-inspiring. And he’s pretty smart, too. On Saturday, he and his son Harrison were at the Jingle Bell Jog finish line handing out medals (along with much of the clinic staff).

We ran into another special person at the ceremony. Katye Herring is a resident at UMMC (the one by which all others are measured, I will add). She was in her pediatric oncology rotation this summer when Maggie had several emergency admissions (UTI, C-Diff) along with several chemo rounds. In a way in which I’m no longer surprised, God placed her there and we “hit it off”. We all decided to graft her onto our family tree (because we’re not sure adoption would work at this point). She continues to visit Maggie during admissions to encourage her. We think she is another reason the future of Batson is bright! She was part of Team Maggie in spirit this weekend – running the St. Jude Half Marathon in Memphis – or she would have been at the Jingle Bell Jog to run with us – or run WAAAAAAAAY ahead of us, as the case would be.

The future is looking brighter for sick children in Mississippi. The new facilities (projected to open in 2020) may not benefit Maggie. We’re thinking they may benefit her own children or allow her a place to work as a nurse. I encourage you to read more by following the link HERE. We’re thankful that doctors, nurses, and staff we love will have more vital resources to do their work. They, and the children, deserve it.