PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 15, 2006

MEDIA - FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Deborah Perry Phone (361) 442-4538

TEENAGERS BATTLING CANCER
LEAVE HOSPITALS, WORRIES BEHIND
& MEET PRESIDENT BUSH, TOUR WHITE HOUSE
DURING WEEK-LONG TRIP TO WASHINGTON D.C.

Driscoll Children’s Hospital patients return
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Arriving at 3:22 p.m. (Continental Flight #2524)
Corpus Christi International Airport

(Corpus Christi, TX) Four teenage Driscoll Children’s Hospital will return from the adventure of a lifetime including a private tour of the White House and VIP meeting with President George W. Bush (schedule permitting). The teens, and a nurse from the hospital’s Hematology and Oncology Clinic, attended the 5th Annual Sunshine Kids National Heritage Tour in Washington D.C. and will be returning home on Sunday, May 21, 2006 to Corpus Christi International Airport. In addition to family and friends, Driscoll Auxiliary volunteers, Oncology clinic staff, and Rayz mascot will be on-hand to greet the weary travelers at the Corpus Christi International Airport.

While in the nation’s capitol, the adventurers had a chance to forget about hospitals for a while and just have fun. They visited the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WW II Memorial, and cruised around the Potomac over lunch. Additional activities included hands-on training at the Drug Enforcement Agency Training Facility in Quantico, Virginia, a day at Six Flags theme park, dinner at D.C. restaurants, as well as movies, swimming, and games.

A total of 30 children battling cancer between the ages of 11 and 17 attended the week-long adventure funded by The Sunshine Kids Foundation. The non-profit organization is committed to providing quality group activities and emotional support to kids who are receiving cancer treatment in hospitals across America. Other hospitals participating include Children’s Memorial Hospital (Chicago, IL), Memorial Children’s Hospital (South Bend, ID), J.W. Riley Hospital for Children (Indianapolis, IN), Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Center (Long Beach, CA), Winthrop University Hospital (Mineola, NY), and Children’s Hospital of San Diego (San Diego, CA).

Driscoll Children's Hospital Logo
About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 189-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

www.driscollchildrens.org

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