The following is an excerpt from Counting on a Miracle… I hope you enjoy it.

I spent the early morning hours in the hotel room reading about The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. When I stumbled across a mission statement from 1999, I felt a powerful sense of respect stirring in my heart.

Children’s Hospital serves as a center of excellence for pediatric and maternal healthcare. Children’s Hospital promotes and advances the health and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and their families. Children’s Hospital provides the full spectrum of primary and specialty pediatric services, health education, outreach programs, and pre-natal and preventive care. Children’s Hospital provides a superior base for education of the next generation of pediatric and obstetric care providers, educators, and researchers. Children’s Hospital advances the knowledge of children’s health, the diseases that affect them, and the means by which children’s health can be improved. The Children’s Hospital of Buffalo maintains an ongoing commitment to caring for children and women regardless of the severity of the illness or injury or ability to pay.

I sighed in admiration. The talented men and women at Children’s weren’t just working for a paycheck. Their work wasn’t performed with one eye on the clock or for the love and appreciation of the masses. I’m certain that most of the professionals working on Jake wouldn’t have cared about doing an interview about their performances. The sole mission of the organization was to put forth the best care in the world. Kathy and I were lucky in one respect; Jake was stricken with this affliction in Buffalo, and the Children’s Hospital was ready for him.

I spent the day in Syracuse, but time seemed to be standing still. Dave Nichols arranged a lunch date with two good friends, Donna Haley and Scott Schrilla. The four of us met at a chain restaurant on the east side of Syracuse, and it soon became apparent just why the lunch had been arranged. Dave and Scott sprinkled their concern for Jake. With just enough humor to make me wonder if it was okay to laugh. Donna shared an appreciation for life by telling stories about her children and constantly smiling. During that lunch hour I remembered what it felt like to laugh.