How The Children’s Inn at NIH Changed Gabriella

Headed into a land of unknown, my then 9-year-old daughter was hopeful that the weight and pain that she had endured would soon be over. We walked into The Children’s Inn on an evening in late February to warm smiling faces. The fireplace was lit and we were welcomed and told dinner was soon to be served and haircuts and styles were to follow. Gabriella, fearful, didn’t smile – she was scared of the unknown.

We were shown around and then lead to our room. We could feel something special. Something different was about to happen. We ate dinner with people we had never met before, Gabriella still not quite sharing her thoughts. Everyone was very friendly. That evening was the beginning for Gabriella. She met a group of kids that changed her forever; Stacy and Aviva being just two of them.

Gabriella realized that here at The Inn she was not the minority, she was the majority. She was able to talk about her illness and hear what other kids were going through. It didn’t matter what people looked like. Let’s look inside and know the person from the inside first. The Inn provided so many opportunities to share and play and laugh the whole time we were there.

Gabby had IV’s placed before her first surgery and that was no problem, a lot of the kids had IV’s. She spoke to kids both at the hospital and at The Inn who had surgeries before. Gabby fears were calmed. Gabby looked forward to waking up and seeing her friends. We had a new family!

Gabby had her surgery at the hospital and turned 10 on March.”

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