You think your kid is perfect, and then the news.  He doesn't have a good "gait," or she is not "growing correctly."  It worries you, because the kid seems so normal!   The cost is gonna be totally out of  sight.  Health insurance (if you have it) will cover only a little of it. 

Then someone tells you about Shriners Hospital.  Shriners?  The guys who wear the  fez hats and drive funny cars in parades?  The guys who sponsor the Circus?  So you get an appointment.  You go to look around.  A friendly  volunteer takes you for a tour. 

You meet your advocate, and she tells you that they don't have a billing department at Shriners, and they will help you get the services they do not provide. 

The thing is, all these kids look so normal, just like your kid.  They may be on crutches, in braces, or wheelchairs, but they're NORMAL.

When you meet a child who is happy just to play, you might forget they have great needs; but they do.

My  son is here for follow-up on his treatment of scoliosis.  We've been to doctors in Shreveport, Alexandria, and New Orleans, and this past summer, Shriners accepted him.  We're here today to find out if it is progressing. 

There's a possibility of braces or surgery, but so far, the news has been good.  The wait is worrisome while they read X-rays.

We get the good news that there's been no progression and we'll just keep watch. 

These guys are real heroes.  You usually see them dressed as clowns, driving funny cars in parades, or doing tricks on motorcycles. 

Paul and Tom got up this morning in Dallas and drove the four hours to Shreveport  to take a little girl to her appointment at Shriners.  After her appointment, they'll return. 

Today,  two other vans brought kids to Shreveport; one from Tulsa and one from Mobile, Alabama.  The Shriner who came from Mobile drove seven hours here, and will drive the family back after the appointment.