Two of the greatest blessings in the midst of Hannah's new diagnosis were M.D. Anderson and the Ronald McDonald House. If you have a child with cancer, there is no other place in the world to take them, in my opinion, than MDA. Hannah was taken there because of the severity of her surgery - Dr. Baumgartner felt it would be best to use their extremely state-of-the-art equipment.
     I can truly say that I've never been in a hospital where everyone was so nice. And I mean EVERYONE. From the volunteers to the registration desk to the clinic people, everyone goes out of their way to help you. And they go over and above board for kids. On the pediatric ward there is a classroom, a library, the Pedi-Dome, (which is something like a gym/play area) a Teen Hangout with Internet access and much more. For the parents there is a kitchen where you can cook, a washroom to do clothes and a lounge. All the rooms are private and are equipped with a pull down bed for the parent. The rooms are colorful and cheerful, and each kid has a TV, VCR and Nintendo 64!  And the food! They took stock once, and realized that so much food was being wasted with a program like most hospitals use - where they bring everyone a tray no matter what. So they changed it. They began using a restaurant-like approach. When you are hungry, you call and order and a butler brings it to you within 45 minutes, fresh and hot. The parent can order also, and just pay when the food arrives. And the food is wonderful.  Chicken fried steak and pizza, stuffed shrimp and hamburgers, waffles and smoothies; you name it. The nurses are caring and friendly, as are the staff and residents. All in all it's a great place to be if you are sick - a hospital that is truly making history in more ways than one.

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