Recently Team IMPACT had the privilege of attending and participating in Children’s Hospital Association’s 19th annual Family Advocacy Day. The event brings patient advocates and their families to Washington D.C. to meet with Congress and share how their lives have been significantly impacted by the advanced and specialized care provided by children’s hospitals.
This year’s Family Advocacy Day brought together nearly 50 patient advocates and their families from 46 different hospitals representing 27 states and the District of Columbia. Also in attendance were Team IMPACT regional staff members, CEO Joe Daniels, and nine Team IMPACT Fellows. “Team IMPACT is excited to be participating in the 2024 Children’s Hospital Association Family Advocacy Day,” said Joe Daniels. “We couldn’t be more proud to have our student-athletes on the ground, to help highlight the importance of team. This is an amazing opportunity for our Fellows to come together with families from children’s hospitals across the country, to support our joint mission of creating positive change in the lives of all children facing serious and chronic illness.”
As an extension of care outside hospital walls, Team IMPACT understands the importance of this advocacy that impacts many families in the program. Following the announcement of Team IMPACT’s partnership with CHA, participating in the advocacy day as further support for families was important. For our Fellows who attended, the experience was invaluable.
The event opened with a welcome dinner for all attendees where CHA President Matt Cook took a moment to introduce Joe Daniels. After Joe gave a brief overview of our program, he turned the mic over to Anthony Pecorella to address the crowd. Anthony is a graduate student at Stony Brook University where he recently resumed his football career after graduating from University of Maryland, where he also played football. While at Maryland, Anthony’s team was matched through Team IMPACT with Cal, a young boy with an immune disorder that required him to receive chemotherapy treatments. Shortly after graduating from Maryland and transferring to Stony Brook, Anthony received a cancer diagnosis that also required him to undergo chemo treatment. Anthony described what it means to be part of a community driven by purpose, resilience, and the desire to make a difference—and how quickly those who once counted on you can become the ones you count on.
Team IMPACT fellows were involved throughout the multi-day conference and got to experience firsthand the amazing work CHA is doing for the families and communities they serve. Fellows also had the opportunity to meet with congress alongside participating families, many of whom spoke about their experience with Team IMPACT and how it has helped them become advocates for inclusivity within their campus communities. Fellow Sanaea Simmons described joining the congressional meetings as “a once in a lifetime experience.” She continued, “I loved listening to families tell their story and truly advocate for not only their families but ones just like them. Sometimes a simple conversation is all it takes to impact the lives of many!”
For our Fellows pursuing degrees in the medical field, their time at Family Advocacy Day helped affirm their career paths. Ryleigh Katstra, a rower at Duke University working towards her Masters in clinical research, commented, “I got to see the resilience of so many different kids and families during the conference that really solidified my desire to go into pediatric neuroscience research.” Stephen Michaels, a recent graduate from Tufts University and former member of the Jumbos football team, is entering his first semester of medical school. He spoke of his experience, saying, “During the conference I realized how much I enjoy working with kids and the impact that medicine has on kids compared to adults. Seeing how pediatric medicine has helped these kids and families was life changing!”
For the entire Team IMPACT community, Children’s Hospital Association’s Family Advocacy Day is the perfect example of an amazing initiative that we hope to showcase our support for and amplify their effort towards positive change through partnership. Team IMPACT Fellow and UConn Women’s Soccer grad student Cara Elmendorf put it best when she said, “It was awesome to take part in an initiative championed and empowered by many who share a joint mission in advocating for a holistic approach to pediatric health, continuing to ‘make life moments possible’ for everyone.”
