When she was a young administrator at NIH, Kathy Russell’s walk
to her office took her past a line of cribs holding sick children awaiting
diagnostic testing. She began talking to the parents and learned of the
heartbreaking challenges they faced. Most were far from home, living in
hotels, trying to juggle care for an ill child with family and job
responsibilities. Since then, Russell has dedicated her life to easing the
journey for these children and their loved ones.
Thirty years ago, Russell helped organize Special Love, which
runs Camp Fantastic, a summer program for kids with cancer. Each year,
more than 112 children go to the camp to be kids instead of patients. Many
return later as counselors—embodiments of hope for newly diagnosed
children and their parents. When Camp Fantastic’s leaders felt they
couldn’t expand their program to include kids with HIV/AIDS, Russell
started Camp Funshine to serve them.
She was a major force behind the Children’s Inn at NIH—a
home-like environment where young patients and their families can stay—and
is now CEO. Her windows look out on the front door, so she can see
families as they approach: “I want to be ready to figure out how I can
help.”
“It’s because of Kathy Russell that thousands of children and
families have been supported through the perilous journey of catastrophic
disease,” says Dr. Philip Pizzo, the inn’s first medical director and
former dean of Stanford medical school. “In a nation that sometimes
struggles to find true heroes, Kathy stands out for her integrity, love
for others, and devotion to making Washington and the world a better
place.”
