The Trip of a Lifetime
Cancer can’t stop these children from living a dream

Destinee Smith, Paige Robison, David Hayslip and Dashawn Paul enjoy a trip to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

More than 25 kids and young adults from across the nation gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual Sunshine Kids National Heritage Tour. Though they came from across the country, from different schools and different backgrounds, this group did have one thing in common. All were battling cancer.
As one of only two participating hospitals in Indiana, Memorial is proud of its affiliation with The Sunshine Kids Foundation™, an organization equally focused on the health and well-being of children.

For nearly 25 years, The Sunshine Kids Foundation has provided exciting, positive group activities for children with cancer so they can do what kids are supposed to do—have fun and celebrate life!

“This year we took four 12-year-olds from Memorial,” says Tammy Robison, Family Advocate, Memorial’s North Central Indiana Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program, and mother of a cancer survivor. “The biggest event of the week was to go see the President.”

After playing with the first lady’s Scottish Terrier Miss Beazley, the group gathered
in the West Wing of the White House for pictures with President George W. Bush.
“He handed out presidential pins and shook all the kids’ hands,” says Robison. “It was a great moment.”

Cancer survivor Paige Robison meets President George W. Bush.

The group then took a special Secret Service guided tour of the White House and waved to the president as he flew away on Marine One. The group even toured the training grounds of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and trained to become “special agents” of their own. They ended their special day with a trip to Six Flags America.

From video games at ESPN Zone, to skee ball at Dave & Buster’s, from scrap-booking to talent shows, swimming in the pool, cruising the Potomac, and touring the monuments of the National Mall, the week was packed with kid-friendly, once-in- a-lifetime moments.

Memorial Health Foundation enjoys a long-standing tradition of supporting children with cancer. Donations from many family and friends have helped fund special kid-friendly programs, trips and activities, as well as equipment that help make treatments a little less painful for young patients. By the end of this year’s National Heritage Tour, many had forged life-long friendships. “The day we left there were a lot of tears,” says Robison. “It was amazing how quickly those kids bonded.”

For ways you can help support children with cancer, please call Memorial Health Foundation at 574-647-2211