| I think this is one of my all-time favorite pictures. The shining smile belongs to my next Heme-Onc floor nurse, Jody. This picture was taken during Avalon's diagnosis stay, and was an exact representation of how she reacted every time one of the nurses even looked in the room. She was scared, aggravated, angry, and in pain...an all around difficult patient. And yet, every nurse who walked in our room, looked as cheerful and friendly as Jody does. They really treated her like this, all the time, every day. Jody is special to our family because of her support and love during that awful diagnosis stay. She was one of our first guardian angel nurses, and remains one of |
| our dearest friends. Jody takes her job as seriously as she loves it. She is as diligent in her medical care, as she is kind in her demeanor. Jody was unlucky enough to be checking in on us one day, as Avalon's medicine caught up with her digestive tract. Here I was, up to my eyeballs in poop...and Jody never batted an eye. She ran the bath, helped me scrape off Avalon, and taught me how to hold the tubies out of the water and harms way. All the while, we chatted, laughed and turned a mild disaster into a pleasant memory. It takes a special person to put a positive spin on that! My favorite thing about Jody? She knows us well enough to feel comfortable teasing us... The day of our last hospital stay, I had fallen down our back steps while carrying Avalon. While my bruises were up my back and under my arm, Avalon's scrapes and war wounds were front and center on the top of her head. Jody and the other nurses delighted in asking Avalon what happened to her head. Every time she pointed and said "Mommy owie", they collapsed into giggles at my expense. Jody tickled herself pink when she first saw Nick's shaved head. She told him he almost looked like Avalon...but he'd better not make me angry or I might throw him down the stairs and finish the job. You can't help but love someone who likes you enough to tease you mercilessly. Its a trait reserved for the closest of family and friends. I'm honored to consider her a little bit of both. |
| Peggy Oh she's going to haunt me for this...but Peggy is far better known in my house, as "Piggy". Peggy is a svelte, beautiful, blonde Heme-Onc floor nurse. She has not one single trait that denotes "Piggy", other than the fact that Avalon is 2 and loves her. Since Peggy is one of the ornery nurses who delighted in teasing me about Avalon's stair bruises, I admit to whole-heartedly enjoying Avalon wandering the halls of the unit yelling for "Piggy! Piiiggggeeee!" Peggy is one of the charge nurses on the floor, but insists on getting to do patient care as often as possible. I love the fact that she enjoys patient interaction enough to fight for it. Peggy holds a special place in our hearts because of the kindness she showed us during diagnosis. Peggy was the nurse during Avalon's initial bone marrow aspiration. She was the exact perfect mixture of support, understanding and care that two broken-hearted parents desperately needed. I'll never forget the look on her face when I went into the procedure room after the draw. Without saying a word, she spoke volumes about how much she recognized and empathized with our pain. I remember hugging her for dear life that first day, and I will never be able to say thank you enough for her hugging me back. I don't know if these nurses realize how much a simple gesture can impact the lives of their patients and the families that love them. Peggy's strength propped us up that day, when we didn't have enough of our own to breathe, much less survive. Every time she takes a minute now to hug a wandering Avalon, I revisit her strength from that day, and I'm blessed all over again. I guess the essence of this entire section is to thank these people for the "Peggy moments" of strength and hope. Each of these marvelous people have given a piece of themselves to us, and I can never hope to fully thank them for all they have meant to us. |
| Dr. Mark Ranalli Dr. Ranalli is Avalon's attending, or primary care physician in the Heme-Onc department. The attendings are the highest ranking doctors. Below them are the fellows, then the lowly resident/interns. The fellows and attendings work in the clinic and on the floor and are responsible for the care plans for the children. Interns and residents are only present in the hospital, and rotate through the floor as part of their education. We've had good residents, annoying residents, and the full spectrum in between. We've never had anything but amazing attendings and fellows. The Children's Columbus Heme-Onc attendings take turns being the attending on call for the floor. I believe they are "on" for a month at a time. Whomever is the attending when you are diagnosed, remains your primary care doctor. From what I understand, there are a few with specialties, but the general rule is you stay with your diagnosis doctor. Dr. Ranalli was the attending the night we were diagnosed. I couldn't have asked for a better person to steward us into this new world. Dr. Ranalli is honest, forthcoming, and as dedicated as they come. Some of his first words to us became the very thing that started our healing. After Avalon's initial bone marrow aspiration, when he and Dr. O'Brian came in to give us the official diagnosis...Dr. Ranalli made a few simple statements that gave us the freedom to embrace the healing process and move through the grief. Dr. Ranalli told us the diagnosis and then emphatically told us to immediately let go of all parental guilt. He stressed that we did nothing to cause her cancer, that we couldn't have prevented or predicted it, and that we needed to let go of all guilt NOW. That it was time to move forward to healing her...nothing else. With a few simple phrases he freed me from the prison of "What ifs" and started us on the road to battle the demon. Even though I've thanked him for his words...I'm not sure he knows the impact they truly had. I thoroughly enjoy Dr. Ranalli. He has a dry, sardonic whit and an impish, ornery grin. He is ridiculously educated and unbelievably intelligent...yet he loves to grin at Avalon's goofy hats, and discuss his dogs' latest antics. He's been known to stop his colleagues to show off Avalon's finery, or poke his head in a room to tease me about talking too much. He knows his patients better than they know themselves and he cares for each of them with a fervor that is second to none. I can sum up Dr. Ranalli with a story. A few months ago, he and his wife took a vacation to Disney. We happened to be in-house right as he came back from vacation. I stopped him in the hall to tease him about having too much fun, and going on the trip we were supposed to have taken in February. When I asked him if he'd had a good time...he answered no...he'd been too worried about his patients. I love the fact that he sees Disney as a vacation destination instead of some tropical oasis...but I am in awe of the fact that his patients mean that much to him. His answer was as honest and forthright as he is. He really cares that much. I admire Dr. Ranalli, I respect Dr. Ranalli, and I'm more grateful than words can ever say that he has chosen to use his gifts for the good of these children. He is a special gift to the world, and we appreciate him. |
| Dr. O'Brian Dr. O'Brian was Dr. Ranalli's fellow the night Avalon was diagnosed. Dr. O'Brian was actually the doctor we saw in ER, who began the gentle process of introducing us to the world of cancer. He was present for all of her initial bone marrow aspirations, and a part of Dr. Ranalli's diagnosis meetings with us. It was Dr. O'Brian who explained what leukemia was to us, and who told us that the greatest threat to Avalon's mortality was infection. Dr. O'Brian's sage advice has served us well as we've worked to keep Avalon germ-free and out of the hospital. Dr. O'Brian is a stark contrast to Dr. Ranalli. Dr. O'Brian is quiet and reserved, the consummate professional. He is every bit as devoted, just more serene in his countenance. It took me nearly six months to break through the professional shell, to the warm, funny human underneath it. The day he came into Avalon's room and teased me, I nearly jumped up and down and squealed. I knew there was a wonderful, interesting man in there...it just took some work to coax him out. Dr. O'Brian will be an outstanding attending someday. He looks for the bigger picture, and truly listens to what parents say. He sees the fight for what it is...conquerable, though the road may be rough. Dr. O'Brian has lost his heart to these kids, even if he's not ready to admit that yet... He will be an excellent advocate, reliable resource, and pillar of strength for the families he is charged with. They will be lucky to have him. We certainly have been. |
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Our Angels:
Avalon's Army of Angels