Thank you for helping us reach our fundraising goal in support of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta – Artist in Residence Program. Your donation is greatly appreciated and will be directed to fundraising to sustain and grow the program at the new Arthur M. Blank Children's Hospital. 

The Artist in Residence Program was a lifeline for Virginia during her bone marrow transplant this summer. It was one of the very few activities that immersed her so deeply that she was able to temporarily forget where she was and much of the discomfort she was in. The twinkle that lives in Virginia’s eyes would come back to life as she was able to create in various mediums that Hannah (Artist in Residence) would bring to her room. Also, art provided a crucial connection and mental health element as bone marrow patients are unable to leave the small ward or visit with any other patients the entirety of their stay, so the visit with Hannah was sacred time.

It was in this particular photo on the website that solidified art as a healing form for Virginia. She had barely been able to get out of bed the last few days and was no longer able to speak from the mucositis that had ravaged the lining of her mouth and digestive tract. She wrote on a little pad I kept in the room that she wanted to see Hannah and make art. The Artist in Residence Program is wonderful in that it is all a disguise for other therapies as well. Since Virginia hadn’t moved much the last few days, it was important we reposition her and get her lungs working which only the promise of art at that time would have made her move. It took about 10 minutes to situate her and all the cords/lines, but Virginia preserved to engage in creative time. That movement and engagement reignited Virginia’s spark which helped carry forward from that low point and showed her she could do more than she realized. I will never forget how something as seemingly easy as art was actually transformational magic in her recovery.

As Children’s moves to the new larger hospital next year, all AFLAC patients will shift from both Egleston and Scottish Rite to the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital. Additionally, the capacity of the other units in the hospital will grow as well. This will be a significant volume increase patient volume. The Artist in Residence Program is not specific to the bone marrow unit and serves as a resource for the entire Egleston Hospital. There were days Hannah was unable to come by as she was serving the important needs of so many other patients as well. I specifically recall seeing her with a tiny set of pink baby footprints for a family whose newborn was undergoing an intense open-heart surgery shortly after birth. It profoundly dawned on me how many patients and needs the Artist in Residence Program was serving and this will only grow in the coming months. This is why we feel it is important to give back to the program as we can by sharing our story and hopefully inspiring the hearts of those we reach to donate. We are thankful for the meaningful impact it had on Virginia’s road to recovery and hope that the Artist in Residence Program is able serve as many patients as possible on their road to recovery.