In the Role of Parent, the Doctor Knows Best

Linda Metro was working in the medical records department of another hospital when she twice had reason to go to Children's. The first time was for her then-9-month-old son, Michael, who had a blood disorder known as autoimmune neutropenia. He had trouble recovering from fevers and was prone to infection. It's a condition most sufferers outgrow, but until then there were many trips to the emergency room.

Later, when Linda was pregnant with her daughter, Lauren, early sonograms suggested a severe abnormality in the fetus's brain. An in-utero MRI exam at Children's revealed that everything was fine.

I asked Linda if these experiences influenced her decision to apply for a job at Children's. Yes, she said. "It influenced me because I saw what tremendous people worked here," she said. There was the nurse who sat holding on to her son's IV to silence the alarm that beeped every few minutes, and the genetics counselor "who didn't know me ever and made me feel like she'd been a long-term friend." Added Linda: "It's just a very special place to work."

Of course, Children's Hospital extends such care and kindnesses to every patient who enters its doors, not just those whose parents work there.

This is the final week of our annual fundraising campaign. If you've already donated, thank you very much. If you haven't, I hope you'll take the time to make a donation. Any amount -- $100, $25, $10 -- can help us reach our goal of $500,000. Our total so far is $270,840.81.

To make a tax-deductible gift -- and help pay the bills of sick children -- write a check or money order payable to "Children's Hospital" and mail it to Washington Post Campaign, P.O. Box 17390, Baltimore, Md. 21297-1390.

To donate online using a credit card, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/childrenshospital.

To contribute by phone using Visa or MasterCard, call 202-334-5100 and follow the instructions on the recording.

My blog, "John Kelly's Commons," is at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/commons. My e-mail: kellyj@washpost.com.