As a second year pediatric resident, I have seen a myriad of families endure the effects of childhood illness. Across the board, these families have developed a variety of impressive strategies to cope with their child’s illness. I wanted to investigate how parents find the strength to cope with childhood illness.

One family in particular stood out to me. The son had been diagnosed with a rare hematological disorder and is currently awaiting a bone marrow transplant. He was incredibly sick, and yet his mother always maintained a patient and peaceful countenance. I took this opportunity to find out what, exactly, gave her such peace in the face of such adversity. I spoke with the mother about her experiences dealing with her son during his time of altered health. Quotes from our interview are accompanied by still photos of the family and areas of Duke Children’s Hospital and the Duke Children’s Health Center in which the family spent significant amounts of time during the course of their journey through diagnosis and treatment.

To view the slides individually, visit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/31628834@N05/

– Dr. Amber Hathcock