On most days my daughter Mini is an average all-american 12 year old girl...Except when she goes to the hospital for a treatment every three weeks...That's when we are reminded that she is not just an average american girl. Mini suffers from a chronic-life threatning illness...On a day to day basis we handle it pretty well, but when I reach the clinic on the third week of every month I am reminded of her mortality and how everything that I do outside of the hospital is done to keep her alive...It's a tight rope to walk...I want her to experience all the good things that a 12 year old girl should experience without putting her health in jeporady...Mini on the other hand see's the clinic as a place where her friends gather to hang out. She loves all the special treatment the doctors and nurses shower her with when she's there. Her next appointment would have fallen on her birthday. I rescheduled it to another day thinking who wants to be in the hospital on their birthday? Mini had a different take on it...she thought it would be cool because all the doctors and nurses would give her presents...I heart that kid...Below are some images from our day in the clinic...


Mini getting her line hooked up...


Parents dealing with the stress...


Kids hanging out coloring...


The clinic got a new Wii game and the kids were so excited. They played that game for 4 hours straight...Anything to take their minds off their treamtents.