GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – Every single day, children battling cancer at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital are just hoping they’re granted another 24 hours. There are many people behind the scenes, like Dr. William Slayton, who help ease their fears and make their lives just a little bit easier.
“I get up every morning just really excited about the possibility of helping these kids. Our unit here, we can have up to 18 children at a time. We are always pretty busy and these children… many of them are fighting for their lives with various forms of cancer,” said Slayton, a pediatric cancer specialist at the hospital.
He says his patients are what drive him to get up every morning and go to work.
“The kids motivate me because they’re really all very precious. I have three kids myself and I can’t imagine what it’s like to have a child with cancer and have to go through watching them struggle with the treatments and sometimes struggling with the idea that they might not make it is also something that makes me want to work harder,” said Dr. Slayton.
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Slayton says fundraisers like Bear-A-Thon are gamechangers for these children and their families. This year is the 25th annual Bear-A-Thon, which raises money for pediatric cancer research. It also allows the hospital to give a teddy bear or chemo duck to every child undergoing cancer treatments. Fear of the unknown can be overwhelming, and the cute stuffed animals provide comfort to the young patients; children, like 10-year-old Bella Rose from Ocala who is battling osteosarcoma, a cancerous tumor in bone.
One day, a moment at cheerleading practice changed everything for her. She says she fell on her knee, and it began to swell up really badly. Her mother frantically took Bella Rose to the hospital. She hoped what was causing her daughter extreme pain would be something simple. Initially, doctors weren’t sure what was wrong.
Just days before Christmas, they went to UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital hoping to find answers. That’s when they discovered she had a tumor.
The reality brought many changes for Bella Rose; however, she’s learned to embrace them all.
“I didn’t really mind losing my hair because it was hurting so much,” said Bella Rose bravely.
Regardless of changes to her outer appearance, the treatments haven’t changed what’s inside… her heart. She presses forward with a positive and contagious spirit. Bella Rose plans to return to playing sports, and even looks forward to picking up a new hobby playing volleyball. She says it makes her “feel good” to know that there are people out there who care.
Show You Care
On Wednesday, Feb. 7, 352today, along with our sister stations Wind-FM and K-Country, will host the 25th annual Bear-A-Thon from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. to raise money for these patients through Stop Children’s Cancer. But you can already donate. According to the organization, 47 children are diagnosed with cancer every day in the United States and only 4% of federal research dollars goes toward childhood cancers.
“You know, this has been going on for many years, and each year they raise more money for us. I know that last year was over $120,000 and that money goes a long way to help our patients and help us with the research that we do here,” said Dr. Slayton. “It makes me feel great that the people in this community, you know, will show their love and support for our patients through the Bear-A-Thon.”
