171 Ashley Ave.
Charleston, SC 29425
843-792-1414
800-424-MUSC
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December 2007
Feature Story
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Elizabeth Hancock
(Photo by Barbara Maria) |
Hilton Head group spreads word about Children's Hospital and DCRI
Once Elizabeth Hancock "discovered" the great care at MUSC Children's Hospital during treatment for her diabetic pre-school daughter, she was determined to share the news.
The Hilton Head resident and her husband, Bobby, were so blown away by the phenomenal care that their five-year-old Sarah received, they wanted to make sure other parents knew about it, too.
"We wanted to find a way to let everybody in the Hilton Head and Bluffton area know how great this hospital is," says Hancock. "So many people just don't know that the MUSC Children's Hospital exists. And if they do, they often don't understand the unique benefits of a dedicated children's hospital, a center specifically for children."
Hancock rallied and together with 10 other women, most of whom were moms who had some experience with the Children's Hospital, formed the Friends of Children of Hilton Head. The group's goal? To educate and make the community aware of all the Children's Hospital and Darby Children's Research Institute offer.
That was eight years and hundreds of grateful parents ago. "What has turned out to be the most rewarding is our role as a referral service," says Hancock. Now 130 members strong, the group has matched countless kids with the right physicians and care at MUSC.
"We're able to match sick children with the right doctor and get them in when they need to be seen, sometimes on the same day," says Hancock. "A lot of lives have been saved because so many more of these children have gotten diagnosed earlier due to getting to better doctors quicker."
Hancock says the group's outreach also springs from its strong network system. "We can not only get you in to see the best doctor in this area, we also put you in contact with parents who've gone through the same things with their children."
It's what she calls an immediate support group: Connecting parents whose children have similar issues, from obesity to autism to cancer, can be critical for an overwhelmed mom or dad.
"Sometimes parents are so dumbfounded and shocked and in denial, that what the doctors tell us doesn't penetrate," she explains. "Especially single parents, who often must go to appointments alone. Being able to talk later to another parent who has gone through the same thing is so helpful. You feel like you know what the future will hold."
Parents don't have to be members to use the referral service. "We do it for anybody."
Friends of the Children of Hilton Head hosts three fundraiser-lectures a year in Hilton head, inviting MUSC Children's Hospital physicians to speak on topics related to children's health, including brain development, orthopedics, the importance of Vitamin D, parenting adolescents, and back-to-school readiness.
The group also secured funds for the development of an islet cell transplant center, and this year held its first annual Banana Open Jr. Tennis Tournament, raising more than $15,000. To date, the group has raised nearly $75,000 for the Darby Children's Research Institute, with individual gifts representing an additional $300,000.
But fundraising has never been the group's main goal, notes Hancock. Its focus is bettering the lives of children in Hilton Head and beyond by tapping the best the area has to offer.
"We're trying to educate people, not only about the hospital itself, but about general children's information and concerns, and also about research breakthroughs," says Hancock.
"The Darby Children's Research Institute attracts very high caliber physicians because top doctors require research space," she notes. "These physicians want to see kids in clinic and find cures for these problems."
It's what she calls "a phenomenal resource," and she knows first-hand. Daughter Sarah, now 14, is active in sports and, thanks to the care she received from the Children's Hospital, living the normal, happy life of a teen.
To find out more about the Friends of Children of Hilton Head, its next fundraiser, or to receive a newsletter, please call (843) 792-2624.
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Elizabeth Hancock & Dr. Maria
(Photo by Barbara Maria) |
Amy Fine & Debbie McKinley
Steering Committee Members
(Photo by Barbara Maria) |
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