Starlight Families Share

Maya's Story

Maya approaches life with spunk and enthusiasm.  After undergoing a liver transplant at the age of four, she has overcome the obstacles of this traumatic event with a positive attitude.

Maya has attended many of the Starlight Great Escapes family activities, including sporting events, ice skating at the National Sculpture Garden, and visiting the circus. She spoke about these experiences and her transplant during last year’s gala.

“Even though I know that the Great Escapes are not just for me, and are for all of the Starlight Mid-Atlantic families,” she explains, “the Great Escapes always seemed planned with me in mind!” 

Ben's Story

Dear Starlight MidAtlantic,

It was almost a year ago when Ben and I attended our first Starlight MidAtlantic event. At that time, the only other children Ben had any contact with attended clinic with him.

We had made it through five of the worst months of our lives. Ben felt isolated from his friends and received adverse attention whenever we went out. It was only after he was able to return to school full time in November that I found out how much it hurt him to be known as the "bald sick kid in the wheelchair." He managed to hide most of the pain behind his big smile and just shrug it off. Starlight MidAtlantic opened a  whole new world where he could laugh and feel special with other kids and not think about the clinic.

It was then that my "Ben" started to return.

Ben loves attending the Starlight events! Our family is so grateful for all that you do! You bring so much joy to so many people. Thank you!!!!!

With love,
Priscilla
A Starlight MidAtlantic Mom

Much-Needed Escape 

Dear Starlight MidAtlantic,

It was so nice to meet you today at the skating event. Our family had so much fun.  These events really lift my family's spirits. Dawson has to have infusion sites and tubing inserted every three days.  This is a very painful process and we often talk about our latest Starlight  MidAtlantic escape to help Dawson keep his mind off the pain.  Life is tough living with such a devastating disease. It really affects our entire family.  Thank you for allowing my family to have much-needed "escapes."

Eleanor Duff
A Starlight Mom

I'm Special, Aren't I? 

Dear Starlight MidAtlantic,

Yesterday I cried... Not because my son came home from school crying due to being teased. Not because he faces another surgery, and casting. Not because I need to tell him yet again, it's ok to do things different than everyone else. And not because I beg the Lord to switch places with me, and heal him so he can be just like all the other boys.

I cried because he told me that thanks to Starlight he felt like a king this week. He told me he thought we were rich. And because he asked me 'mom, I am special, aren't I?'  

That itself was worth every tear I ever shed. 

Thank you,
A Starlight MidAtlantic Mom