In our hospital, we often work with parents, especially fathers, and witness some of their most vulnerable moments: whether they are first-time dads, or caring for a sick child. We develop relationships and form close bonds with these families to support them on their journey towards healing.
Daniel Webb’s four-year-old daughter, Emily, came to AdventHealth for Children last May after she was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Daniel says over the next year, his daughter became the “veteran patient” at the hospital. While caring for his daughter, he wanted to do something to help the families he saw each day.
“When I was here with my daughter, it was so difficult to see her get chemo treatments. We saw new families coming into the hospital, who were beginning their journey, and we wanted to help them,” explained Daniel.
Daniel volunteers at the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) #4534, and last December, they donated thousands of dollars worth of toys to our patients. They also dropped off gift cards that were collected through a huge outreach to their family and friends. Daniel and the local VFW have donated over $20,000 through the AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida to help bring joy and love to our littlest patients and their families. In addition, Daniel is now a certified volunteer at AdventHealth for Children and serves on the Patient Family Experience Council with Jeff Cousins. He even brings donuts to the team once a month!
When asked why he continues to give back, Daniel said, “I wanted to give back because the team is an inspiration. They go out of their way to make life easier for the families and the patient. You don’t feel like you’re in a standard doctor office where they come in for five minutes and leave. They listened to us and heard our concerns. They inspired me to want to make a difference and give back to help other patients as well.”
Emily successfully finished her cancer treatment on March 29, 2022, and will continue with regular monitoring at AdventHealth for Children, but she currently has no evidence of disease. Daniel, an Air Reserve Technician, says the team members who cared for his daughter inspired him to give back to other patients and families in a big way. Daniel is looking forward to spending Father’s Day at home with Emily.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can give back to help kids stay kids while they are in the hospital, visit AdventHealthforChildren.com/Donate.
