Dateline DFCI
To the Editor
I just read the Winter/Spring 2002 issue of Paths of Progress, and the article on Pediatric Oncology and its companion piece, "Jimmy Fund Clinic offers joy amid the challenges," were excellent.
My now-healthy 14-year-old daughter, Katie, was diagnosed with Wilms' tumor when she was 5, and everything the authors said about patients benefiting when all their caregivers work in one clinic is true — along with having the inpatient oncology unit next door at Children's Hospital Boston and the outreach services of the Back to School Program.
They described the clinic's atmosphere so well: It was as if everyone knew we had arrived the minute we walked through the door. Actually, the minute we drove into the driveway, we felt as though the attendants were expecting us — just like everyone upstairs. Pulling back from the Jimmy Fund Clinic when your treatment is done can truly be traumatic, as the writers noted, because the place is a lifeline for families like ours.
Reading this article made me want to thank everyone again for what they did for us. The staff who work in the clinic are very special.
Judy McDonough
Lexington, Mass.
Paths of Progress welcomes letters to the editor. They should be sent to Editor, Paths of Progress, Communications Department, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 375 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02215, or e-mailed to debra_ruder@dfci.harvard.edu. Please include your name, phone number, and postal or e-mail address. Note that letters may be edited for clarity and space purposes.
