On May 17, 2007, at 4:30 in the morning, I woke up to Ila Jean crying strangely.  When I stood up and looked at her in the dark room, I knew something was wrong. Within minutes she stopped breathing and a code blue was called. I stood by in shock and wondered if “this was it”. Thankfully it wasn’t and she was revived. I got another 5 years with her before she stopped breathing again. This time for good.

This is a horrible memory for me, but what bothers me just as much, was the behavior of our new roommate. After midnight we received a new roommate. Something that always troubled me, but I would deal with it in the morning. He woke me up and wasn’t exactly quiet coming in so very late. I was used to it though and didn’t let it bother me. When Ila started to cry, this father on the other side of the curtain got vocal about being stuck in a room with a crying baby. I could hear him on the other side of the curtain. Even though I was focused on Ila Jean and the situation in front of me, I kept thinking about him and how rude he was being while my daughter suffering from cancer lay in front of me crying. He quickly realized along with the rest of the floor, that things were not good when the code blue was called. No apology ever came, and I didn’t need one. He however, will never forget that night and will hold his child a little closer because of it.

My point with this is that children suffering from cancer and blood disorders needing chemo, are dealing with very difficult and complex issues. They should not be roomed with children and their families and visitors who have not the first clue of what it is like to be going through cancer treatments. Hence, my overwhelming support for the Private Room Project at Albany Med in thanks to the Tyler DeMarco Foundation. Tyler saw this problem too. Thanks to his parents, his dream and so many of ours too, is coming to fruition.

~ Jenny Rathbone (Ila Jeans Mommy)