‘Wonderful’ screening, wonderful evening

Recently a number of us from Children’s National were privileged to be among the first people in country to see the new movie Wonder in the company of the movie’s director, Stephen Chbosky, and the book’s author, R.J. Palacio. It’s a terrific film depicting the day-to-day heroism of a young man named Auggie Pullman. Auggie is born with a condition called mandibulofacial dysostosis, which is more commonly known as Treacher Collins Syndrome.

I often get asked if working at a children’s hospital is a depressing job, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Again and again, I see that the kids in our care — kids like Auggie in Wonder — are stronger and more resilient than most adults. Somehow, they battle difficult and complex health challenges while keeping smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts.

Our job is to help these fearless children through their journey by delivering first-class clinical care and driving innovative research. Few people in Washington, D.C. do more in the battle for children’s health than Senator Susan Collins of Maine who I had the pleasure of introducing at the pre-screening. Senator Collins was one of the original sponsors of the Children’s Health Insurance Program in the Senate and is strong supporter of Medicaid, the government health insurance program which is so important for our nation’s children. It was a great night and I hope you all have a chance to take your families to see Wonder.