FROSTBURG — Fleece pillows. A little toy. A warm smile and words of comfort. This may not seem like much, but for many of the patients at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, this small act of kindness means a lot. And these little things, along with a bit of bravery, are what earned 12-year-old Dustin Darby the October Kids Wish Network's Hero of the Month.
Kids Wish Network is a national children’s charity that has various programs, including wish-granting for children with life-threatening illnesses and the Hero of the Month program, which recognizes children with nonlife-threatening illnesses who have faced many difficulties and often endured a lot of pain. The network cooperates with facilities across the country to nominate one child per facility each month and Dustin was honored with this award for the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. Each hero is given a T-shirt, medal of honor, certificate and a retail gift card.
“I am so very proud of him,” Cindy, Dustin’s mother, said. “Dustin just has such a strong faith, and just his personality is special. We’ve had so many people tell us that just meeting Dustin has uplifted them, even if they just spoke for a short while.”
The award came as a surprise to Dustin.
“It was really exciting,” Dustin said. “I didn’t know I was going to be getting it, but I think I got it for doing nice things.”
Frostburg resident Dustin suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, more commonly known as brittle bone disease, and has broken more than 120 bones and had more surgeries than most grown adults.
“He just had his 20th surgery to have his spine fused. He is the only child in the world with titanium ribs,” Michael, Dustin’s father, said. “He is doing good. It’s been a long road. He has had 20 surgeries since 2003.”
But having fought through these trials isn’t the only reason Dustin won the award. He and his family buy little gifts to take to the other children during hospital visits and holidays and they also make IV pillows.
“We started making the pillows several years ago and we’ve taken them three times now,” Dustin said. “We make them out of fleece and will take them to kids before surgery. Last time we went was Easter and we took 107 pillows.”
Cindy said an IV board is used in hospitals to keep the arm straight but they are not very comfortable. She adds they make the pillows a little larger than needed so the kids can continue using them after the IVs are taken out.
“This is an easy way we can give back to the hospital,” Cindy said. “Anything we can do to give back just a little bit for all they’ve done for us is what we try to do.”
As Dustin goes to give kids their gift, he also talks to them and tries to comfort them before surgery.
“I tell them not to be afraid and that everything will be OK,” Dustin said.
Dustin is also a hunter and, thanks to the Tony Semple Foundation for Hope, was chosen to be one of four disabled hunters flown to Michigan for a hunting trip in September 2007. Because of his love for hunting, he will use some of his hero money at the sporting goods department.
“When asked what he was going to spend his $400 gift card on, Dustin said, ‘I think I’m going to buy some more material for pillows and then go to the sporting department,’” Cindy said. “He even offered to go to Wal-Mart with one of the nurses and buy her a few things, but she told him that it was his money and he should use it for what he wants. But that’s who Dustin is, he’s just a little encourager with a big heart.”
Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.
Community
Related Photos
October 28, 2009
‘Hero’ offers kindness to kids getting surgery
Uses experience with brittle bone disease to give advice and comfort
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