November 17, 2021

To Berkshire Hathaway Home Services,

Thank you for an amazing trip last month to New York City! While I have participated in multiple Sunshine Kids trips, this trip held a special place in my heart. The past 20 months have changed many of our lives, but it was even more difficult for the patients I chaperoned on this trip. Some of the patients were isolated from their peers long before COVID due to their diagnosis and treatment. Patients who spent countless hours and days in the hospital should have been able to return to school and live some resemblance of a normal life, but then the pandemic hit. In a strange way, their isolation was now normalized to other teens who did not have cancer but were living life in quarantine. But a great difference is, my patients had been away from their peers for 2-3+ years and they had much more to fear given their fragile medical needs.

The New York City Staycation brought together teens who shared many commonalities: cancer, treatment, and even their home locations. As the patients were all local, they were able to share about places they liked to go and found these were places the other teens also enjoyed. Some of them even knew mutual healthcare staff that had transitioned to other hospital settings! These connections were inspiring and moving. They are a reminder that it's a small world, and there are-beautiful people who make huge differences in it.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank the volunteers: Steve, Patty, Andrew, Ken, Christian, Div and Adi. You made our trip that much more extraordinary and you were a much needed help with the patients' medical needs. I thank you for taking the time away from your loved ones to be with these incredibly resilient teens and teaching them they are strong and don't fight alone.

Lastly, I thank Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and all those who support the Sunshine Kids Foundation. COVID has affected people emotionally, psychologically, and financially. During a time when your lives have been shaken, you found it in your hearts to generously support these teens financially and emotionally by giving them one of the best (if not the best) trips of their lives. On our car ride back home, my patients shared about how they were deeply humbled and honored by the generosity of the donors that made this trip possible, especially during an unprecedented pandemic. We thank you for making the world a better, brighter place.

Pediatric Oncology Social Worker
Children's Cancer Institute

30 Prospect Avenue | Hackensack, NJ 07601 | 551.996.5437 | Fax 201.487.7340