FOUR-YEAR HIATUS CAN'T DAMPEN THE SPIRIT OF AN EMORY EYE CENTER TRADITION
On Saturday, May 13 Emory Eye Center once again hosted Retinoblastoma Kids Day - a celebration of the families and children who are fighting retinoblastoma.
A seemingly endless supply of funnel cakes, hot dogs, and carnival games guaranteed that the pint-sized patrons would find their jam. But from the smiles on their faces, the adults were having just as much fun.
That's exactly what we like to see,
said Baker Hubbard, MD, an Emory Eye Center retina specialist who has championed the annual event for eons. Hubbard and his colleagues knew most of the attendees at Saturday's event because they had treated them as patients at an Emory clinic.
We love to see the smiles on the kid's faces but it's just as important to see their parents take a moment to enjoy the simplicity of their children's laughter. That's what this day is all about. It is pure joy for me to catch up with them at this event.
Launched in 1999, the once-annual event was sidelined for four years during the COVID epidemic. In 2023, dozens of Emory Eye Center faculty, clinicians, and staff volunteered to be a part of the festivities, which included crafts, carnival games, face-painting, a bouncy-house, and a visit from some very friendly therapy dogs from Happy Tails.
Also supporting the event were a number of sponsors, including the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI), Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation, the Georgia Eye Bank, Chick-Fil-A, and the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center.
-Kathleen E. Moore