In early December 2010, Jen Likness got a call that could change her life. She was getting her long awaited, much need lung transplant. Likness has cystic fibrosis. A lung transplant could save her life, although half of those who receive them won’t live longer than 5 years. That’s more time than she would have without one so the risk is worth the rewards more often than not. That’s a lot to carry and to consider for a young woman. Still, in the long months that she has been awaiting this moment, Likness wasn’t thinking about herself, but about the wellbeing of others, especially the young children stuck in hospital beds in the general pediatric unit of her Florida hospital.
Therefore, instead of using her time waiting for the transplant to sulk and lay around, Likness started Jen’s Kids, a fund to raise money to renovate that pediatric unit of Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Instead of focusing on the trials and tribulations of her life, she decided to do what she could to help children who were dealing with their own kinds of suffering and missing out on childhood.
The rooms in the general pediatric wing of the hospital were dreary, not uplifting or inspiring for children who are sick and in need of inspiration. Therefore, Jen and her mother got to work raising money for renovations. It wasn’t easy, but in 2009, they raised $97,000. That was enough to complete three of the fourteen rooms, but an overall $250,000 is still needed to finish the project. The rooms are being fitted with new paint, new cabinets with a desk, a television and DVD player, as well as a pull-out sofa for parents who spend their nights in the hospital alongside their children.
It seems no consideration has been left out so that families who face these trying times can at least be comfortable and together as much as possible. Likness hopes these changes can brighten the lives of the children and families who spend so much of their time confined in the hospital walls. I for one am sure these differences will make a huge impact on the well-being and good spirits of these children.
As for Likness, her journey continues to a healthier life. Hopefully she is beginning to breathe easier and fuller. Hopefully God will grant her many more than five extra years of life from this transplant. And hopefully, the children of Florida are enjoying their new hospital digs.