She was Amber DesRoches, and her story is the inspiration for the renovation and expansion of Medcenter One’s Children’s Hospital. Amber was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 11. She left the world just as she was entering her teenage years, at a time when her life should have just begun. For a small package, she had big dreams.

According to Amber, her “biggest, most enormous problem with being sick is being a kid. You don’t get to do as much fun stuff as you used to.”

Her dream was to make other children’s experiences in dealing with illness easier. Amber fell in love with the story of Peter Pan while she was undergoing treatment at Medcenter One. She dreamed of a place where children could escape the reality of their illnesses or injuries and be surrounded by magical places.

The Medcenter One Children’s Hospital is committed to providing healthcare that is professional and personal. Our skilled and caring staff provides the tender, loving care children need and expect when ill or injured. It is the goal of the Children’s Hospital and the pediatric intensive care unit to provide all patients the highest quality of care.

Children have very special needs. The Children’s Hospital staff knows kids and understands their particular needs. The staff provides personalized, family-centered care for children, adolescents and young adults.

The Children’s Hospital cancer care is dedicated to creating brighter tomorrows and helping children with cancer see their dreams come true. Kids believe anything is possible and the cancer care staff is dedicated to the special care and needs of children with cancer.

Medcenter One needs to update the Children’s Hospital environment to accommodate its cancer patients, including parent-friendly accommodations and an area more family-focused for our cancer and long-term care patients and their families. It is Medcenter One’s good fortune that a special patient named Amber shared her dream.