Meet Betty – Central Ohio

Betty is three years old and lives in Ohio with her parents, Ruben and Katie and four siblings, Ruby, Mickey, Clancey, and Crosby. Betty loves playing at the park, drawing, and brushing her teeth (especially turning the water on and off!).

At three months old, doctors noticed Betty was not gaining weight and was falling off the charts for height and weight. They did bloodwork and at four months old, diagnosed her with Shwachman Diamond Syndrome. Betty’s mother Katie spent countless days in the hospital with her. On days the family was at home, they were always anxiously awaiting bloodwork results to determine if they needed to head back to the hospital. Eventually, Betty received a bone marrow transplant, which has improved her health tremendously.

Betty’s family was referred to A Kid Again by a social worker from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. On Betty’s 2^nd birthday, the family attended their first A Kid Again Adventure, Miracles and Magic in February 2020. They were happy to enjoy time together as a family and relax. Since then, the family has looked forward to each Adventure.

Betty’s parents know that raising a child with an illness can be lonely at times and that illness affects the entire family. Betty’s mother, Katie says that A Kid Again “brings so much joy to my family. We don’t get to do much and even the older children have had to give up so much… These events bring us so much happiness and the kids really look forward to each event”.