A Legacy of Joy and Community: The Michael T. George Family Great Room
There is an oasis at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute where patients and their family and friends can forget the clinical environment around them. In the Michael T. George Family Great Room, they can prepare and enjoy a meal together. They can rest, work or engage in private conversation. They can console one another. They can celebrate. They can breathe.
In all of these ways, the spirit and legacy of Mikey George endure.
The Challenge that Changed Everything
Kristine and Tony George celebrated the birth of their healthy triplets David, Julia and Mikey at UH on December 3, 2002. As Mikey grew alongside his birth mates, it became apparent that he was born with Down syndrome. Just as quickly, Mikey’s sharp wit, temerity and care for others also emerged. Over the course of his life, everyone who met Mikey adored him.
Outgoing and adventurous, Mikey loved to spend his summers exploring Kelley’s Island. That tradition was interrupted in the summer of 2018 when Mikey’s leukemia diagnosis marked the beginning of an extended stay at UH Rainbow.
Patients at Mikey’s age can sorely miss the social activity that their peers take for granted. Mikey’s popularity, however, ensured a steady stream of visitors to UH over the course of his 13+ months of treatment. During his stay, a band of bag pipers even moved through the halls of UH, spreading cheer.
Mikey’s cancer treatment took him and his family through highs and lows. Unfortunately, after a brief period of remission, Mikey’s cancer spread and he passed in 2019.
A Natural Caregiver
Mikey left an indelible impression on his caregivers. Melissa Najda, RN-3, BSN, has worked at UH since 1991, and cared for countless patients. To this day, she holds her time with Mikey close to her heart.
“Looking back, it is heartbreaking. He was such a dreamer,” Melissa said. “He emulated his nurses and always wanted to wear scrubs – to be like us. We gave him an honorary clipboard, name badge and stethoscope that he would bring to shadow us on rounds to neighboring patients. He wanted to help so badly.”
A Family’s Response
Mikey’s love of people came to him honestly. His parents have worked in the hospitality industry for decades and have made many friends.
Not long into the George family’s stay at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute, local restaurant owners began donating meals to fuel Mikey’s guests and UH caregivers. “Food just kept coming,” Tony said. “We were trying to figure out how to distribute all of it.”
Quickly, the Georges saw that visitors and caregivers alike could benefit from a space dedicated to respite and community.
After Mikey’s passing, his parents made a gift from their charitable organization, Awakening Angels, to help other UH Rainbow families connect and build community. Matched by a generous capital challenge grant from the Char & Chuck Fowler Family Foundation, the Michael T. George Family Great Room, located in the Andrew Uhrman Inpatient Unit on the seventh floor of Horvitz Tower, was dedicated in 2020 in Mikey’s honor.
“The George family’s gift has greatly improved our ability to provide the best care,” said Melissa, who remains friends with the family. “Having room to provide a nice meal for all of our families around the holidays is so nice, especially because chemotherapy affects how our young patients taste food. With the ability to cook and store food, families can enjoy their favorites in this space.”
Tony believes the room is equally important for caregivers like Melissa.
“People don’t fully understand how much these nurses give to the kids,” he said. “They grieve when illness takes hold and jump with joy when a child becomes cancer-free. The demands are so very hard on them. They need a place to rest and recharge too.”
The Next Frontier: AYA Cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute, about 70,000 of the 1.7 million cases of cancer diagnosed in the U.S. every year involve AYA patients, who suffer worse cancer-related health outcomes than children and adults. The demographic is comparatively under-researched in the cancer care space despite the group’s heightened psychological needs and at times varied response to conventional treatments.
A team at UH led by Alex Huang, MD, PhD, Program Director, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and Theresia G. and Stuart F. Kline Family Foundation Chair in Pediatric Oncology, is working to change that. Dr. Huang’s clinical trials unit for pediatric and AYA hematology and oncology consists of a diverse portfolio of research and clinical trials in immunotherapy and other treatments maintained for even the rarest of cancers. Immunotherapy has become a first-line treatment for some adult cancers, with one-year survival rates of up to 80 percent.
Learn more about opportunities to support pediatric and AYA cancer care at University Hospitals.