I was honored to help a family earlier this year. I initially met the family during a routine clinic appointment. At that time the mother shared with me that her son, the patient, had been in the hospital for over a month with a newly discovered brain tumor. She spent much of that time in the hospital with her son. Her husband was not able to work his normal hours due to the responsibility to care for the other children, and his desire to also be at the hospital with their son. She reported that they were behind in mortgage payments as a result. She talked about how much the home meant to the family, especially at a time like this. Mom filled out a Christopher’s Cure application which was then reviewed by Psychosocial Team members. The team determined that this situation exemplified the purpose for the Christopher’s Cure fund. I had the honor of notifying the mother by phone. It brought tears to my eyes, to hear that though I was not able to stop the pain of having a loved one be ill, I was able to assure this family that money worries needn’t be a factor on that day. The mother later reported to me that the provision of that assistance allowed her to return her focus to caring for her ill child, and not get carried into a deep depression which would have taken her attention away from his care.
I am grateful that, as a Social Worker, I have Christopher’s Cure as a tool in my tool box for working with families of children who have significant health issues.
Thank you for the opportunity to share this story and to participate in your program.
Tammy Abbott-Thiel, LMSW
Social Worker
Children’s Rehabilitative Services
124 W Thomas Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85013