Birdseye View

It's hard to believe this is the seventh year of the N.C. Children's Promise. Seven years! Really? Already? It truly feels like it was yesterday that we were assembling in conference rooms week after week, trying to figure out how to get it all done. How were a dozen or more radio stations going to fit into the lobby of a hospital to broadcast their shows live? How would we attract well known artists to perform live? Would families be willing to share their experience with so many people they've never met before? Would they really want to relive time and time again what they've gone through?

Seven years later and I am still amazed. Amazed by the families who volunteer to answer phones, those who share their stories regardless of how painful it can be. They are the reason we continue to do this. They are the reason why the community is so willing to open its heart and give of themselves. They are the reason for the N.C. Children's Promise.

You know, there's healing in the narratives that we sometimes share. We see ourselves in them. Often times we can relate. The narratives of these families today are of strength, of courage, of resilience, of promise. There's healing in these stories for each of us.

Stephanie Crayton
Medical Center News Office