15 Photos Of Brave Kids Returning To School After Hospital Stays

For kids who have spent extended periods in the hospital, getting back to the classroom for the first day of school represents a victorious return to regular life.

Last week, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta invited families of current and former patients to share photos of their kids going back to school on the hospital’s Facebook page. Over 100 parents responded with photos and stories that are both emotional and triumphant.

“At Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, we often say that our job is to get kids back where they belong — that’s out of the hospital and back to classrooms, neighborhoods and ball fields where they can experience the joys of childhood,” Pediatrician in Chief, Dr. Jim Fortenberry, told The Huffington Post in an email.

“When a child’s daily life has been interrupted by injury or illness, the first day of school is much more than a milestone. It’s a return to normalcy,” he continued. “It’s a milestone that’s been preceded by the achievement of other milestones, such as gaining enough strength to breathe without a ventilator or building back an immune system that’s been weakened by chemotherapy or anti-rejection medicines.”

Continue scrolling for a sample of some of the proud schoolkids and visit the CHOA Facebook page for more photos and stories. 

• 1
  

  Sarah Harris Martin
  

• 2
  

  Kerri McMahon
  

• 3
  

  Shawn-Jennifer Douglas
  

• 4
  

  Molly Gareau
  

• 5
  

  Charity Johanson
  

• 6
  

  Cynthia Smith
  

• 7
  

  Jenny Kuziak Wehunt
  

• 8
  

  Leah Wolfe
  

• 9
  

  Lisa Hamby
  

• 10
  

  Susan Carcione Brown
  

• 11
  

  Debbie Reynolds Heininger
  

• 12
  

  Maghan Roberts Cockrell
  

• 13
  

  Nicole Mario Perezcassar
  

• 14
  

  Aimee Michelle Strickland
  

• 15
  

  Barbara Linnea Rion
  

 

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