This picture was taken in Panama, where my parents stopped with me on the way to my first surgery at Boston Children’s. You can see how far my left leg is rotated out. They were only figuring out how significant that was. (I also chuckle because there’s that awful plastic people used to put on cushions to make them last longer. That chair is still in my aunt’s house in Panama.)

A few days ago, I went to visit an extraordinarily brave young man who is recovering from Leukemia and a bone marrow transplant. C and I talked about the garden at Children’s. When he was strong enough after the transplant, he would lie in the grass in that magnificent garden and soak in the sunshine.

Boston Children’s continues to grow and in the next few months, that garden that gave me and C solace will become a construction zone. A new building is going up there. It breaks my heart and I am so incredibly grateful that I got to make that pilgrimage in 2012. I am so sorry for all the little boys and girls who will never know that magical place.