by: Beverly Eye
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As a mom, you don’t expect to outlive your children. You expect them to be around long after you’re gone from this earth. But as a mom, you also quickly learn to deal with circumstances outside of your control, regardless of your expectations. My daughter Betsy’s life taught me that.
Betsy was beautiful, vivacious, smart, generous and most of all, kind. But she was also very sick with a chronic illness that gave her digestive problems and a weak immune system for most of her life. We were in and out of Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System since she was seven years old, and our visits were measured in weeks and months, not hours and days. But while we spent years being tested and treated, we also found a second family in the nurses, doctors, and staff that cared for us, and Betsy found a new group of friends. Some of them were two-legged; other children and teenagers who were suffering from chronic illness and could relate to her experience. And some of them were four-legged; the facility dogs that visited her and lifted her spirits when she was at her weakest and unable to leave her room. I never expected us to find such a supportive community in the midst of challenges, and I never expected the dogs to have such a positive impact on Betsy.
After 15 years of fighting, Betsy’s body couldn’t fight anymore, and she passed away one year ago this month, in April 2017 at age 22. I never expected to have to say goodbye.
As I and Betsy’s friends grieved, we knew we also wanted to celebrate her life and her fighting spirit by giving back. The idea of raising money for a new facility dog was a no-brainer. The dogs had made such an impact on her quality of life, but with only three dogs for an entire children’s hospital, the unit was understaffed and unable to reach all the patients that needed help.
We immediately began sharing Betsy’s story and the need for more facility dogs through social media and with local media outlets. In December, I got the surprise call that someone in Arizona, of all places, had seen our story and anonymously donated a $25,000 gift for a new facility dog. I never expected Betsy’s story to resonate across the country, and I certainly never expected one anonymous individual to give without expecting anything in return.
On the day we were scheduled to meet the new facility dog, “Betsy’s Dog,” I sat nervously in the GHS Children’s Hospital lobby. Hospital staff had kept all the details of the dog a secret. As soon as he came around the corner, tail wagging and tongue out, I saw it – Betsy. King’s golden hair, wide smile and happy demeanor were her, just in a different form. I never expected to see her again, but looking back on the story now, I should have. Her spirit never truly left.
Our work isn’t done. There is still a great need for facility dogs at GHS Children’s Hospital. These dogs are invaluable in helping patients relax, laugh and just be kids for a minute. The value of that type of medicine is intangible. Yet even with four facility dogs working in inpatient and outpatient settings, they aren’t able to spend the time they need to with each patient. We want to continue impacting lives by bringing additional facility dogs here. If you are interested in giving to the facility dog program, visit www.ghsgiving.org/donate. Select Child Life Program in the drop-down box and write “facility dog” in the text box.
As I reflect on the past year, the impact of Betsy’s life and legacy start to sink in. When you share your story on social media, you expect your friends and family to care. You don’t expect complete strangers to hear your story and make a selfless gift of generosity. You expect your child to make a difference in the world. I never expected Betsy to make a difference in this way, but now she’ll impact hundreds of patients through her four-legged friend. And for that, I am so very grateful.
