Briana's Story 

My namis is Jeanette, and my 13-year old daughter Briana is battling Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that has caused a tumor in her chest.

Since her diagnosis, she's spent more than six months in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments, and there are more long weeks and months ahead. I spend days and nights in the hospital and my husband Jeff and Briana's 8-year-old sister Morgan come after school and on weekends. It often feels as if the hospital is our first home and our house is our second home.

I've come to realize that hospitals have a strange effect on children. It's as if a hospital room forces them to grow up in an instant and face very adult situations and fears. It's hard, as a parent, to watch your little one's only childhood be stolen away.

The Starlight Site playroom has been the one place in the hospital where my daughters can get away from Briana's room and enjoy being kids for a while.

Briana loves being able to go to the Starlight Site. She even encourages other kids to get out of their rooms and come with her! Usually playrooms are built for young children, but the Starlight Site seems to have something for kids of all ages. As a teenager, Briana's favorite things to do are email her friends using the playroom's computers or make craft projects like scrapbooks. Morgan's favorite spot is in front of the air hockey table.

Morgan doesn't like to go to her sister's room, with all of the tubes and machines. She'd much rather visit with Briana in the Starlight Site. And if Briana is undergoing treatment, Morgan is able to stay in the playroom. I never have to worry about whether or not she is bored, and she is always making friends. It makes it so much easier for Jeff and me to not have to stress about how Morgan is doing while our attention is focused on Briana's care.

It's funny how one room can make such a big difference. For our family, the Starlight Site has been a warm, welcoming space that gives our girls a chance to have fun for a while, forget about medical treatments, and remember what it feels like to be a kid.