Testimonials

Dear Angela,

The IPads arrived this morning! How exciting to receive a package with TWO IPads. Please know that you are not just making two children very happy – you are truly changing their lives! Thank you!

Our Speech Therapist Laura Barnett identified the two patients who would most benefit from having their own IPad, but whose families would have a very hard time being able to afford to buy them. I thought you’d like to know a little bit about the children she selected:

Scott is a 15 year old boy recently adopted from China. He has very limited speech in both Chinese and English due to a brain injury. He will use the IPad along with the Proloquo2Go app, which we will purchase with local funds, as his primary method of communication.

Charlotte, age 2, is a current therapy patient. She is a very unusual and extremely cute little girl, who we think is severely autistic. She will need a communication device on an ongoing basis, so the iPad will enable us to start her communication training right away.

Both families are very excited about receiving the IPads and are happy to have photos taken of the presentation with the local SLC family who did such a marvelous job with their lemonade stand.

Please let me know the best way to set up the meeting between the Reynosa family and the children. I can’t wait to thank them personally and to introduce them to the children benefitting from their hard work.

Angela, it must have taken tremendous strength on your part to channel your sadness at your mother’s passing into a wonderful foundation to help children. We greatly appreciate what you have accomplished and are honored to be a part of your generosity which will enable these special children to communicate with the world.

If you ever are in SLC, I’d love to meet you and give you a tour of the hospital.

Warm regards,
MJ

The iPad program through Angela’s Angels has been invaluable to our patients. Sam is a sophomore in high school but due to her cancer treatment has not been able to attend class with her peers in over a year. The gift of the iPad has now allowed Sam the opportunity to connect with teachers and classmates through Face Time. She is now able to actually see what classmates are doing in real time as well as connect with teachers and tutors after school. Sam is now also able to use the iPad for homework, research and let’s be honest some good old distraction from some very long hospitalization. Staying connected and interacting with peers is particularly important especially for teenagers. The gift of an iPad has allowed Sam to do that and has made what can often be a difficult time a lot more tolerable.

Will was diagnosed with liver cancer about 6 months ago. He was going through chemo treatment and waiting a liver transplant, but as the days went on he was closing up more and more. He was tired of all the hospital stays (most of the 6 months) he was tired of medicine, and he was tired of eating and just wanted to sleep all day. He really just wanted this “nightmare” to be over. Finally he was diagnosed with situational depression and he was refusing everything including all medicine. The child life specialist was called by doctors to “fix” him. The child life specialist knew him really well, and knew there was no instant fix. The more you push Will to do something the deeper he will go into depression. He enjoyed watching movies, but that was about it. Nothing would motivate this kid! Child life specialist decided to purpose a behavior modification chart/ incentive chart. When he could do a solid week of taking all his medications, go for walk, shower, and brush teeth he would earn the iPad. He perked up at the thought of owning his own iPad. This is not something anyone in his family owned. He said he would try…. He did earn the iPad and continue to work daily on earning iTunes cards from family and child life specialist. He currently has received his new liver, he will undergo 2 more rounds of chemo and then be returned to life cancer free. This iPad really made a difference and it was something that he earned and only he could do it. He felt a sense of accomplishment and you saw it by the smile that he gave when the iPad was given to him. He would rather not take photos at this time because he says he doesn’t like the way he looks, but he did allow me to share his story.