TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Inspiration Drawn From Cancer Patient

ADVERTISEMENT

By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 2, 2008

TAMPA - What started as a way to say thanks to the 20 or so pediatric nurses on the third floor of University Community Hospital ended with everyone saying thanks to a 9-year-old cancer patient who dreamed up the nifty design for a bunch of T-shirts worn by those nurses.

Draven Warren was the life of the party at an informal reception on the pediatrics floor Friday afternoon. He sported a blue T-shirt with his design on the back. The nurses on the floor wore the same shirt.

The shy boy munched on pizza and cake while the medical team complimented him on his design, which he came up with in fall 2007 while a patient at the hospital.

His mother, Stephanie Dryer, said, "He came up with the design while he was bedridden."

The design shows two open hands side by side, fingers up, thumbs out.

Spanning the hands are five small stick figures holding hands. The stick figure in the middle appears to be a child.

Above the drawing it says, "University Community Hospital"; under it are the words, "Holding Us All Together."

Draven's name is below that, and "Age 9."

Draven was admitted to UCH in the fall for treatment of an infection resulting from ongoing oncology treatments, hospital spokesman Will Darnall said. While the boy was on the pediatric floor, the nurses held a "design your own T-shirt" contest.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT