January 30, 2004

A heartfelt thank you to the "Santas" of the MGH community

Below is a letter written by the mother of a pediatric patient of the MGH Northeast Proton Therapy Center (NPTC) about a gift she received from the Walsh Brothers construction workers (For story, see Dec. 19 edition of Hotline). The construction workers raised approximately $12,000 for an entertainment room and for individual gifts for the pediatric patients of the NPTC.

Hello MGH,

My name is Reyna Bates. I'm 22 months old, and a few days before Thanksgiving this year, my mom took me to the eye doctor here in Pawtucket, RI, with the idea that I may be in need of glasses. The doctor told my mom that I would have to see Dr. Woo at Children's Hospital in Boston as soon as possible. She and her staff saw us immediately, and discovered that I was a victim of retinoblastoma. I had a full mass on my left eye and four tumors on my right. My left eye had to be extracted immediately and we were referred to the MGH for proton radiation treatment to remove the four tumors on my right eye. I've been in treatment for a couple of weeks, and the doctor and nurses couldn't have been any nicer. I can't tell you how important this is to my mom, grandmom and uncle, who are getting me through this. Thank you all!

This brings me to the real reason that I feel the need to write this letter. The NPTC is right under a construction site, and the folks who are working on this project took a collection and purchased much-needed furniture for our treatment waiting room, and purchased toys for all the children at the NPTC. I received a TV and VCR/DVD player so that I can watch my favorite movie, "Dora the Explorer ." I'll be 2 years old in February, so I am just starting to understand the whole Santa thing. I also received a group photo of the construction workers, and I realized that Santa is real and hides in the hearts of that group of people and all the loving and caring people in the world.

Our newspaper and media tend to highlight the criminals and mostly bad events. I think It's time to say thank you to all the Santas that humanity has — all the good people who help one another, who care if our neighbors are in need. I would really just like to say thank you very much, and I love you all!

Sincerely,
Reyna and family