From Ghostbusters Fan to Fundraiser: A Mother’s Starlight Journey
A Family of Ghostbusters Fans
Ever since Amy was a toddler, she’s loved the Ghostbusters movie, characters and underdog story. Now, as a mom, she gets to share her love with her two sons, Patrick and Alton, who are also huge Ghostbusters fans!
For Patrick’s 5th birthday, Amy worked with her local Ghostbusters-fan group, the Los Angeles Ghostbusters (LAGB), to create a birthday video for him. In lieu of payment, they asked Amy to donate to the charity they support, Starlight Children’s Foundation, who helps kids heal with play time through its programs.
“And that’s what I did [donate],” recalls Amy. “It just made me so happy to help. We love visiting LAGB at conventions, then fast forward to when Patrick had his diagnosis.”
Patrick's Diagnosis
In April of 2022, Patrick had just recovered from a virus when suddenly Amy saw spots speckled all over his body. After consulting her father, who is a pediatric oncologist, she was worried that he had immune thrombocytopenia, which is the body overreacting and attacking itself.
“And my father said, ‘Put a bicycle helmet on his head and take him to the hospital because he’s one head injury away from a brain bleed out and possible death’,” said Amy.
Amy and her husband rushed Patrick to the hospital. Thankfully he was fast-tracked into a room, where they waited for answers as to what was going on.
A Sense of Comfort
It was a scary experience for Patrick and his family.
“Our brains, as parents, are going a million miles a minute,” recalls Amy. “My husband, he’s a statistician, and so his sense of comfort was just writing everything down that the doctors were telling us and then plotting out the numbers himself while he waited for answers. It helped him cope.”
Patrick was scared too, especially of the IV because his care team had a difficult time getting it into him. It was uncomfortable and he was very nauseous from his treatment. Patrick was stuck in bed, and he really wanted to get up, but the doctors needed him to remain in bed. “We tried to keep things light and fun as much as we could,” said Amy.
Through all of this, Amy and her husband remembered how the LAGB supports Starlight, who places Starlight Nintendo Switch Gaming Stations in hospitals for kids to play on. Immediately they asked the Child Life Specialist if they could bring it in for Patrick.
Patrick’s face lit up!
The Gaming Station was an instant distraction from pain for Patrick. “It was the biggest smile we had seen since he arrived at the hospital,” reflects Amy. “And suddenly he was immersed in that world. He seemed to almost not even notice the IV in his arm.”
After multiple tests, Patrick was diagnosed with Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). Then followed treatments, and thankfully Patrick was discharged a few days later.
To this day, the IV is still a bad memory for Patrick and something he vividly remembers. Still, when Amy asks him about his hospital stay, Patrick says his favorite part was playing on the Gaming Station.
“It meant the world to me to know that my kid, who was scared and going through a treatment he’d never been through before, had something to take his mind off of it and bring him so much joy.”
- Amy
A Full Circle Moment
Being impacted by Starlight programs was a full circle moment from Amy – from when she first supported Starlight through the LAGB and to directly being impacted by those efforts. This moment propelled Amy to support Starlight through the LAGB in a greater way than just a fan that visited them at conventions – becoming a member herself!
Amy decided to suit up and join the LAGB to help Starlight deliver happiness to hospitalized kids across the country. Amy continues to be a hero for Patrick, her community and the millions of hospitalized kids across the country.
“It's tremendous knowing that I can be a part of making such a great impact. And we don't see this ever ending. I think it could just continue on and on.”- Amy
As a mother, Amy understands the significant impact Starlight programs have to make hospital stays easier for kids.
“When you see your kid happy, as a parent that means the world, because all you want is to take their pain away.”
- Amy
Though Amy and the LAGB are suiting up for hospitalized kids, there’s still much work to be done. To ensure that every child can experience happiness from Starlight programs like Patrick did, we need your help.
You can be the hero for hospitalized kids.
Donate, join one of our Fandom with Purpose groups or fundraise for kids with medical needs today.
