1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,560 Welcome everyone to the Becker's Healthcare podcast series. 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,200 I'm Ryan Mohammed, writer and moderator with Becker's 3 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:06,960 Healthcare. And I'm thrilled to have with me 4 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:08,099 today Lou Forgoso, 5 00:00:08,559 --> 00:00:11,119 president and CEO of Manning Family Children's in 6 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:13,359 New Orleans. Lou, welcome to the podcast. We're 7 00:00:13,359 --> 00:00:15,014 very excited to have you join us today, 8 00:00:15,014 --> 00:00:16,774 especially for the first time. To get us 9 00:00:16,774 --> 00:00:18,614 started, would you mind please introducing yourself and 10 00:00:18,614 --> 00:00:20,154 telling us a bit about your background? 11 00:00:20,535 --> 00:00:22,295 Yeah. Hi. It's a pleasure to be here 12 00:00:22,295 --> 00:00:24,314 with you, Mariah. My name is Lou Fragoso, 13 00:00:24,614 --> 00:00:27,274 president and CEO for Manning Family Children's. 14 00:00:28,339 --> 00:00:30,019 Been here in New Orleans for the last 15 00:00:30,019 --> 00:00:31,480 six and a half years. Originally, 16 00:00:32,020 --> 00:00:33,539 born and raised on the South Side Of 17 00:00:33,539 --> 00:00:34,039 Chicago. 18 00:00:34,579 --> 00:00:37,060 Had the, really honor of being at Lurie 19 00:00:37,060 --> 00:00:40,100 Children's in Chicago, and then, was recruited to 20 00:00:40,100 --> 00:00:42,340 Houston where I was at Texas Children's for 21 00:00:42,340 --> 00:00:42,840 about, 22 00:00:43,414 --> 00:00:45,414 six years, and now I've been here for 23 00:00:45,414 --> 00:00:47,015 the last six and a half, and it's, 24 00:00:47,255 --> 00:00:48,155 it's been amazing. 25 00:00:49,174 --> 00:00:51,015 Wonderful. Thank you so much for giving us 26 00:00:51,015 --> 00:00:52,234 that background. So, 27 00:00:52,854 --> 00:00:55,494 Lou, for those who aren't familiar, the Leadville 28 00:00:55,494 --> 00:00:57,579 Trail A Hundred is considered one of the 29 00:00:57,579 --> 00:01:00,539 most demanding ultra marathons in the country. Can 30 00:01:00,539 --> 00:01:02,539 you start by describing what the race is 31 00:01:02,539 --> 00:01:04,299 and why you chose to take it on, 32 00:01:04,540 --> 00:01:06,299 not just once, but for the third time 33 00:01:06,299 --> 00:01:06,799 now? 34 00:01:07,819 --> 00:01:10,060 Yeah. Thanks. Yeah. The way when you put 35 00:01:10,060 --> 00:01:11,385 it that way, you're right. Why am I 36 00:01:11,704 --> 00:01:13,865 attempting this a third time? But the, 37 00:01:14,505 --> 00:01:16,745 the Leadville one hundred trail race, it is, 38 00:01:17,145 --> 00:01:19,484 one of the oldest and most iconic 39 00:01:19,944 --> 00:01:22,605 and toughest ultra marathons in the country. 40 00:01:23,064 --> 00:01:25,049 Started over forty years ago. I think it's 41 00:01:25,210 --> 00:01:27,710 the second oldest ultra marathon in the country. 42 00:01:28,409 --> 00:01:30,730 And it starts in, the highest city in 43 00:01:30,730 --> 00:01:33,130 North America, which is Leadville, Colorado, which is 44 00:01:33,130 --> 00:01:34,409 at 10,200 45 00:01:34,409 --> 00:01:34,909 feet. 46 00:01:35,450 --> 00:01:36,909 And the race traverses, 47 00:01:37,609 --> 00:01:40,510 a 100 miles across the Colorado Rockies. 48 00:01:41,025 --> 00:01:43,525 And so it is a incredibly intense race. 49 00:01:44,224 --> 00:01:46,545 All 100 miles needs to be completed in 50 00:01:46,545 --> 00:01:47,765 under thirty hours, 51 00:01:48,224 --> 00:01:51,424 and the race takes place between essentially 10,000 52 00:01:51,424 --> 00:01:53,125 feet and 13,000 53 00:01:53,185 --> 00:01:53,685 feet. 54 00:01:54,849 --> 00:01:56,609 Wonderful. Thank you so much for giving us 55 00:01:56,609 --> 00:01:59,909 that, information. Definitely does sound demanding. 56 00:02:00,290 --> 00:02:01,670 And I'm sure for you, 57 00:02:02,049 --> 00:02:04,310 this isn't just about a medal or finishing 58 00:02:04,369 --> 00:02:05,030 the race, 59 00:02:05,409 --> 00:02:07,650 but, obviously, about the the kids you serve. 60 00:02:07,650 --> 00:02:09,409 Can you talk about the moment that clicked 61 00:02:09,409 --> 00:02:10,069 for you, 62 00:02:10,425 --> 00:02:12,185 and how it changed your mindset going into 63 00:02:12,185 --> 00:02:12,844 the race? 64 00:02:13,465 --> 00:02:15,145 Yeah. Well, I think you when you kinda 65 00:02:15,145 --> 00:02:16,824 started us off, you're saying, this is my 66 00:02:16,824 --> 00:02:17,645 third attempt. 67 00:02:18,104 --> 00:02:20,044 So I've attempted this two other times, 68 00:02:20,425 --> 00:02:22,104 and just to give a little background. So 69 00:02:22,104 --> 00:02:23,469 the race, like I said, has to be 70 00:02:23,469 --> 00:02:25,469 completed in a certain time frame, and there's 71 00:02:25,469 --> 00:02:27,409 certain time cutoffs along the route. 72 00:02:27,870 --> 00:02:29,150 The first year I did it two years 73 00:02:29,150 --> 00:02:30,750 ago, I missed the, 74 00:02:31,389 --> 00:02:33,789 time cutoff at, I think, mile 45 by 75 00:02:33,789 --> 00:02:34,610 about a minute. 76 00:02:35,435 --> 00:02:37,115 And then last year, I attempted it again. 77 00:02:37,115 --> 00:02:39,194 I missed a time cutoff at the 100 78 00:02:39,194 --> 00:02:39,935 k mark. 79 00:02:40,875 --> 00:02:42,814 So that's about mile 62. 80 00:02:43,194 --> 00:02:44,875 And now this year will be my third 81 00:02:44,875 --> 00:02:46,794 attempt. And so now your question is, how 82 00:02:46,794 --> 00:02:48,814 does this all get connected to 83 00:02:49,169 --> 00:02:50,789 our mission here at the hospital? 84 00:02:51,330 --> 00:02:52,610 So here's how the story goes. 85 00:02:53,169 --> 00:02:55,169 And my staff will tell you this. I 86 00:02:55,169 --> 00:02:56,930 get a lot of ideas while I'm out 87 00:02:56,930 --> 00:02:58,530 running and training. It's where I get some 88 00:02:58,530 --> 00:02:59,590 of my best ideas. 89 00:02:59,969 --> 00:03:01,909 And so I signed up again, 90 00:03:02,289 --> 00:03:03,810 and this will be my third year doing 91 00:03:03,810 --> 00:03:04,310 it. 92 00:03:04,935 --> 00:03:05,435 And 93 00:03:05,974 --> 00:03:07,655 I was on a long run. I think 94 00:03:07,655 --> 00:03:10,155 I was on a 26 mile training run. 95 00:03:10,295 --> 00:03:11,415 It was one of those days, you know, 96 00:03:11,415 --> 00:03:13,575 it's just you weren't feeling it, and that 97 00:03:13,575 --> 00:03:15,895 happens. It was a particularly rough day. It 98 00:03:15,895 --> 00:03:17,895 was hot, you know, here in New Orleans 99 00:03:17,895 --> 00:03:20,540 and humid, and I was just struggling. I 100 00:03:20,540 --> 00:03:22,139 was, I was on the struggle bus. I 101 00:03:22,139 --> 00:03:24,379 was in the pain cave. And as I 102 00:03:24,379 --> 00:03:26,300 think of myself, like, why am like, seriously, 103 00:03:26,300 --> 00:03:27,659 like, why am I doing this again? You 104 00:03:27,659 --> 00:03:29,900 know, like, those doubts kind of started creeping 105 00:03:29,900 --> 00:03:30,400 in. 106 00:03:31,340 --> 00:03:34,000 But often while I'm running, I'm also 107 00:03:34,455 --> 00:03:35,814 thinking. Lot of there's you you got a 108 00:03:35,814 --> 00:03:37,275 lot of time yourself. You're processing, 109 00:03:38,215 --> 00:03:39,514 and I think a lot about work. 110 00:03:39,894 --> 00:03:41,814 And one of the things I started thinking 111 00:03:41,814 --> 00:03:43,974 about during that run-in those moments when I 112 00:03:43,974 --> 00:03:45,894 was doubting and thinking myself, like, do I 113 00:03:45,894 --> 00:03:47,275 really wanna do this again? 114 00:03:47,735 --> 00:03:49,754 I started thinking about our our kids 115 00:03:50,270 --> 00:03:51,889 here at the hospital and 116 00:03:52,349 --> 00:03:53,569 what they go through. 117 00:03:54,189 --> 00:03:56,370 And it really clicked for me. It's like, 118 00:03:56,430 --> 00:03:57,169 our kids 119 00:03:58,189 --> 00:03:59,010 every day 120 00:03:59,870 --> 00:04:01,010 face their own mountains. 121 00:04:01,710 --> 00:04:04,194 Like, every day, I see it. And they 122 00:04:04,194 --> 00:04:07,235 are battling some of the toughest diseases, toughest 123 00:04:07,235 --> 00:04:07,735 diagnosis, 124 00:04:08,034 --> 00:04:11,014 whether it's cancer, whether it's sickle cell, 125 00:04:11,555 --> 00:04:14,614 whether it's depression, anxiety, whether it's spina bifida. 126 00:04:14,914 --> 00:04:15,414 Like, 127 00:04:15,919 --> 00:04:18,180 I see it every day. They battle. 128 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:19,939 And these kids are here, 129 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,060 sometimes it's a week, a month, two months, 130 00:04:23,759 --> 00:04:25,060 six months, a year. 131 00:04:25,519 --> 00:04:27,279 We've had, you know, one of our kiddos 132 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:29,699 that's been here, you know, five hundred days. 133 00:04:30,764 --> 00:04:31,884 And then it hit me. I was like, 134 00:04:31,884 --> 00:04:33,725 these kids have no quit in them. Like, 135 00:04:33,725 --> 00:04:34,704 they are battling 136 00:04:35,245 --> 00:04:35,985 every day 137 00:04:36,444 --> 00:04:39,805 fighting through and pushing through and overcoming, and 138 00:04:39,805 --> 00:04:41,584 they they never give up. 139 00:04:42,444 --> 00:04:44,285 And that just kinda hit me. It's like, 140 00:04:44,285 --> 00:04:46,589 there's, like, that's it right there. Right? Like, 141 00:04:46,589 --> 00:04:47,810 you can't give up. 142 00:04:48,110 --> 00:04:50,350 There is and and and it's kind of 143 00:04:50,350 --> 00:04:52,509 this message that I just in in terms 144 00:04:52,509 --> 00:04:54,189 of how I live my life, but it 145 00:04:54,189 --> 00:04:56,769 really just connected to personal and professional 146 00:04:57,964 --> 00:05:00,365 is, you know, you gotta finish what you 147 00:05:00,365 --> 00:05:00,865 started. 148 00:05:02,044 --> 00:05:03,644 And I think about that with our kids 149 00:05:03,644 --> 00:05:06,384 and what they push through and this transformative 150 00:05:06,764 --> 00:05:09,345 process that they're going through while they're here, 151 00:05:10,220 --> 00:05:12,460 pushing through the next chemo session, pushing through 152 00:05:12,460 --> 00:05:14,939 the next bone marrow transplant, the next surgery, 153 00:05:14,939 --> 00:05:16,160 the next needle stick. 154 00:05:16,699 --> 00:05:18,240 And on the other end of that 155 00:05:18,699 --> 00:05:21,100 and our physicians often call it this rebirth, 156 00:05:21,100 --> 00:05:22,080 a second birthday. 157 00:05:23,259 --> 00:05:26,085 You know, they're they're transformed, and they have 158 00:05:26,085 --> 00:05:28,165 this new life and their future ahead of 159 00:05:28,165 --> 00:05:30,004 them. And so all of that clicked for 160 00:05:30,004 --> 00:05:31,845 me in terms of, you know, I shouldn't 161 00:05:31,845 --> 00:05:33,845 be thinking any shouldn't have any of these 162 00:05:33,845 --> 00:05:36,165 doubts about not wanting to do this, about 163 00:05:36,165 --> 00:05:38,404 complaining, about having some sort of excuse because 164 00:05:38,404 --> 00:05:40,379 our kids certainly don't, and they push through 165 00:05:40,379 --> 00:05:41,120 and they overcome, 166 00:05:41,660 --> 00:05:43,840 and they're the inspiration and they're the motivation. 167 00:05:44,220 --> 00:05:47,100 And then I called Kristen Robinson, our vice 168 00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:48,780 president of marketing. I said, Kristen, I got 169 00:05:48,780 --> 00:05:50,699 a great idea. I'm like, I wanna run 170 00:05:50,699 --> 00:05:52,780 this race in honor of our kids and 171 00:05:52,780 --> 00:05:54,080 have every mile 172 00:05:54,524 --> 00:05:56,285 named after one of our kids so we 173 00:05:56,285 --> 00:05:58,764 can share their stories of struggle and strength 174 00:05:58,764 --> 00:06:01,004 and courage and resilience and how they face 175 00:06:01,004 --> 00:06:01,665 their mountains 176 00:06:02,045 --> 00:06:03,264 every day and overcome, 177 00:06:04,205 --> 00:06:06,444 and also honor the teams that help them 178 00:06:06,444 --> 00:06:08,205 through that. We have some of the most 179 00:06:08,205 --> 00:06:09,345 amazing people 180 00:06:09,889 --> 00:06:12,370 that help our kids fight and battle every 181 00:06:12,370 --> 00:06:12,870 day. 182 00:06:13,250 --> 00:06:15,009 And so that's kind of where all this 183 00:06:15,009 --> 00:06:18,310 kinda connected is is a way to share 184 00:06:18,689 --> 00:06:21,110 the amazing stories that are our kids. 185 00:06:21,649 --> 00:06:23,329 And, yeah, so we we've had a lot 186 00:06:23,329 --> 00:06:25,425 of fun with it. A 100 miles, 100 187 00:06:25,425 --> 00:06:26,645 kids, one mission. 188 00:06:27,185 --> 00:06:29,345 Their stories are amazing. The teams that serve 189 00:06:29,345 --> 00:06:31,125 them are amazing, and it's basically 190 00:06:31,504 --> 00:06:33,585 about there's there's no quit in our kids. 191 00:06:33,824 --> 00:06:35,985 They never give up. There are stories of 192 00:06:35,985 --> 00:06:36,485 overcoming 193 00:06:36,944 --> 00:06:38,420 and strength. So 194 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:40,660 that's how it all, came together, 195 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:41,540 Mariah. 196 00:06:42,639 --> 00:06:45,600 Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Definitely inspiring. And as you 197 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:46,100 stated, 198 00:06:46,639 --> 00:06:48,560 each mile of the race is dedicated to 199 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:49,220 a patient 200 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:50,580 at your system. 201 00:06:51,415 --> 00:06:52,694 And answer this a little bit, but how 202 00:06:52,694 --> 00:06:54,775 do those stories stay with you during the 203 00:06:54,775 --> 00:06:56,795 race, and how do they influence your leadership 204 00:06:57,175 --> 00:06:58,715 when you're back at the hospital? 205 00:06:59,335 --> 00:07:00,634 Yeah. I mean, so 206 00:07:01,175 --> 00:07:03,035 just even to connect it, I mean, 207 00:07:03,620 --> 00:07:06,120 Brian Morello, for example, one of our kiddos. 208 00:07:06,180 --> 00:07:07,560 He's 15 years old. 209 00:07:08,819 --> 00:07:09,639 Spina bifida. 210 00:07:10,419 --> 00:07:12,680 That kid's had more surgeries than birthdays. 211 00:07:13,139 --> 00:07:14,199 When he was born, 212 00:07:14,579 --> 00:07:16,019 you know, they said he'd have no quality 213 00:07:16,019 --> 00:07:17,860 of life that he'd never get out of, 214 00:07:18,180 --> 00:07:19,000 his bed. 215 00:07:20,074 --> 00:07:22,875 And this kid now, despite having more surgeries 216 00:07:22,875 --> 00:07:23,615 than birthdays, 217 00:07:24,314 --> 00:07:25,454 he's an athlete. 218 00:07:26,314 --> 00:07:26,814 He 219 00:07:27,194 --> 00:07:27,694 is 220 00:07:28,555 --> 00:07:29,055 basketball. 221 00:07:29,435 --> 00:07:31,754 He's been racing. So me me and Brian, 222 00:07:32,074 --> 00:07:33,055 two years ago, 223 00:07:33,539 --> 00:07:35,479 decided to do our first 10 k together, 224 00:07:36,339 --> 00:07:38,019 here at the Crescent City Classic in New 225 00:07:38,019 --> 00:07:38,519 Orleans. 226 00:07:39,060 --> 00:07:40,899 And two years ago, you know, it was 227 00:07:40,899 --> 00:07:43,620 his his first 10 k, and he finished 228 00:07:43,620 --> 00:07:45,860 it in about an hour. And this last 229 00:07:45,860 --> 00:07:46,360 year, 230 00:07:46,875 --> 00:07:48,955 like, he came in at, like, forty four 231 00:07:48,955 --> 00:07:49,455 minutes. 232 00:07:49,835 --> 00:07:51,375 And so now he has aspirations 233 00:07:51,915 --> 00:07:53,214 of going into the Paralympics, 234 00:07:54,475 --> 00:07:56,634 you know, and his future years and competing 235 00:07:56,634 --> 00:07:57,455 in the Olympics. 236 00:07:57,835 --> 00:07:59,754 And it's exactly like, this is a kid 237 00:07:59,754 --> 00:08:02,080 that literally potentially has every excuse in the 238 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,900 world to not continue to push and fight, 239 00:08:05,279 --> 00:08:07,120 and he doesn't. He wears a hat that 240 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:08,819 says embrace the suck. 241 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:11,759 And he is gonna meet me at Mile 242 00:08:11,759 --> 00:08:14,000 99 and pace me in for the last 243 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,235 mile because he is our kid that we 244 00:08:16,235 --> 00:08:19,194 have named, mile 100 after, Brian Rello. So 245 00:08:19,194 --> 00:08:21,435 he's like, mister Lou, I wanna head out 246 00:08:21,435 --> 00:08:22,634 there. He goes, I wanna pace you in 247 00:08:22,634 --> 00:08:23,615 for the last mile. 248 00:08:24,154 --> 00:08:25,055 I'm like, alright. 249 00:08:25,834 --> 00:08:27,779 And so, you know, that just gives you 250 00:08:27,779 --> 00:08:30,180 an idea of their strength and the inspiration 251 00:08:30,180 --> 00:08:31,080 that they provide. 252 00:08:31,699 --> 00:08:33,539 You know, there's we got another one of 253 00:08:33,539 --> 00:08:34,200 our kids. 254 00:08:34,899 --> 00:08:36,600 This kid's his name is Drew. 255 00:08:37,299 --> 00:08:39,379 Like, he's a swimmer. He's his kid's in 256 00:08:39,379 --> 00:08:40,039 high school. 257 00:08:40,904 --> 00:08:41,404 And, 258 00:08:42,105 --> 00:08:44,504 like, it this is just the most amazing 259 00:08:44,504 --> 00:08:46,745 story. So this kid, he broke his hip. 260 00:08:46,745 --> 00:08:49,304 Right? And he was at the hospital needing 261 00:08:49,304 --> 00:08:51,225 rehab, but he's a swimmer. And his team 262 00:08:51,225 --> 00:08:53,225 had made it to state for the swim, 263 00:08:53,544 --> 00:08:54,044 finals. 264 00:08:55,070 --> 00:08:57,389 But they wouldn't be able to compete if 265 00:08:57,389 --> 00:08:59,009 he wasn't there to compete. 266 00:08:59,470 --> 00:09:01,389 And so he decided that he was gonna 267 00:09:01,389 --> 00:09:03,389 compete in the state finals in the swim 268 00:09:03,389 --> 00:09:05,629 meet with a broken hip. So his team 269 00:09:05,629 --> 00:09:07,629 lowered him into the pool so he could 270 00:09:07,629 --> 00:09:09,330 swim. He did his backstroke 271 00:09:09,709 --> 00:09:10,209 competition, 272 00:09:11,205 --> 00:09:12,725 finished. They had to pick him up out 273 00:09:12,725 --> 00:09:13,465 of the pool, 274 00:09:14,485 --> 00:09:16,105 and they won state 275 00:09:16,725 --> 00:09:18,825 with him swimming with a broken hip. 276 00:09:19,365 --> 00:09:20,105 And then 277 00:09:20,485 --> 00:09:22,404 he doubles down, and there's one of our 278 00:09:22,404 --> 00:09:23,625 little patients, Blakely, 279 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,600 who, he learns has cancer, who she lives 280 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:27,419 in his neighborhood. 281 00:09:27,879 --> 00:09:30,460 And he then decides to fundraise for her, 282 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:33,639 by getting a swim team together, and they 283 00:09:33,639 --> 00:09:35,179 called it laps for Blakely. 284 00:09:36,054 --> 00:09:37,754 And so here's one of our patients 285 00:09:38,134 --> 00:09:40,215 who showed the strength and the resilience to 286 00:09:40,215 --> 00:09:41,735 support his team fight through the pain of 287 00:09:41,735 --> 00:09:44,315 a broken hip, and then the character 288 00:09:45,014 --> 00:09:46,715 to say, you know what? Now I'm gonna 289 00:09:46,774 --> 00:09:48,394 fundraise for another patient, 290 00:09:49,159 --> 00:09:50,919 because she has cancer, and I wanna raise 291 00:09:50,919 --> 00:09:52,220 awareness of her story. 292 00:09:52,919 --> 00:09:55,259 It just like, it it it doesn't end. 293 00:09:55,559 --> 00:09:57,179 And when you think back to, 294 00:09:57,559 --> 00:09:59,259 you know, how we 295 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,360 run this hospital, I mean, this is about 296 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:04,274 helping kids, bottom line. 297 00:10:04,894 --> 00:10:05,794 It is about 298 00:10:06,575 --> 00:10:09,054 supporting our the teams that do that and 299 00:10:09,054 --> 00:10:11,054 the strength and the resilience that it takes 300 00:10:11,054 --> 00:10:12,735 to put the team together and the crew 301 00:10:12,735 --> 00:10:14,355 together to support our kids. 302 00:10:14,894 --> 00:10:17,330 So it's we see it every day, their 303 00:10:17,330 --> 00:10:19,490 inspiration of never giving up, and so we 304 00:10:19,490 --> 00:10:21,649 can't ever give up because of what we 305 00:10:21,649 --> 00:10:22,789 see from our kids. 306 00:10:23,889 --> 00:10:26,529 Yeah. Yeah. That is all definitely so inspiring. 307 00:10:26,529 --> 00:10:29,350 And thank you for sharing, those heartfelt stories. 308 00:10:29,815 --> 00:10:31,835 And you described the race as a transformative 309 00:10:31,975 --> 00:10:34,134 process that really strips you down and brings 310 00:10:34,134 --> 00:10:34,634 clarity. 311 00:10:35,735 --> 00:10:37,894 Could you say what you've learned most about 312 00:10:37,894 --> 00:10:41,195 yourself and your leadership throughout these past attempts? 313 00:10:41,254 --> 00:10:43,254 And what do you hope to carry, forward 314 00:10:43,254 --> 00:10:43,995 this time? 315 00:10:45,410 --> 00:10:46,789 Yeah. I think, you know, 316 00:10:48,210 --> 00:10:49,730 what I tell people and they say, like, 317 00:10:49,730 --> 00:10:51,809 you know, what do you go through? It's 318 00:10:51,809 --> 00:10:53,889 just about every motion. Right? It's a 100 319 00:10:53,889 --> 00:10:55,429 miles. It's thirty hours. 320 00:10:55,970 --> 00:10:58,289 That transformative process. When you're, 321 00:10:58,955 --> 00:11:00,554 pushing through a 100 miles in the in 322 00:11:00,554 --> 00:11:01,774 the mountains, I mean, 323 00:11:02,235 --> 00:11:04,414 so the climbs are incredibly steep. 324 00:11:04,794 --> 00:11:05,934 The air is incredibly 325 00:11:06,554 --> 00:11:07,054 thin. 326 00:11:07,595 --> 00:11:10,735 You're pushing through hours into the night, exhaustion, 327 00:11:10,955 --> 00:11:11,455 fatigue, 328 00:11:12,075 --> 00:11:12,575 nausea, 329 00:11:13,514 --> 00:11:14,335 all of that. 330 00:11:15,139 --> 00:11:17,700 But what I also tell people is they're 331 00:11:17,700 --> 00:11:19,299 the other side of it where you have 332 00:11:19,299 --> 00:11:21,220 this amazing group of people that are supporting 333 00:11:21,220 --> 00:11:23,160 you. So you have a sense of community. 334 00:11:23,299 --> 00:11:24,919 You have a sense of gratitude. 335 00:11:25,700 --> 00:11:28,440 You also have this amazing sense of presence. 336 00:11:28,824 --> 00:11:30,424 And a lot of people talk about, you 337 00:11:30,424 --> 00:11:32,504 know, needing to be present. And it's become 338 00:11:32,504 --> 00:11:34,264 very cliche when people tell you, no. You 339 00:11:34,264 --> 00:11:35,644 need to be present in the moment. 340 00:11:36,105 --> 00:11:38,044 When you go through an experience like this, 341 00:11:38,504 --> 00:11:40,024 that's what you have. You end up with 342 00:11:40,024 --> 00:11:42,424 this absolute sense of clarity in the moment 343 00:11:42,424 --> 00:11:44,184 because of what you can only do is 344 00:11:44,184 --> 00:11:46,879 focus literally on the next step. There becomes 345 00:11:46,879 --> 00:11:49,460 a point of exhaustion and absolute fatigue 346 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:51,139 and where it's no longer 347 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:53,759 physical as much as it is mental because 348 00:11:53,759 --> 00:11:56,240 you're battling this notion of wanting to quit 349 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:57,379 and all of the doubts. 350 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:00,554 And so it be you're very much in 351 00:12:00,554 --> 00:12:03,355 that moment of your your only thought is 352 00:12:03,355 --> 00:12:04,975 of this very next step. 353 00:12:06,075 --> 00:12:08,715 And I think that is incredibly powerful because 354 00:12:08,715 --> 00:12:10,394 in in the world that we live today 355 00:12:10,394 --> 00:12:12,990 with all of the distractions and, like, almost 356 00:12:12,990 --> 00:12:14,610 a constant level of engagement, 357 00:12:15,550 --> 00:12:17,410 to have a moment where 358 00:12:17,790 --> 00:12:18,929 all of that disappears 359 00:12:19,790 --> 00:12:22,910 and you are literally truly focused on the 360 00:12:22,910 --> 00:12:25,230 the very next that that moment and the 361 00:12:25,230 --> 00:12:26,210 very next step, 362 00:12:27,054 --> 00:12:27,795 it's just wonderful. 363 00:12:28,815 --> 00:12:30,274 You know? You're suffering, 364 00:12:31,134 --> 00:12:33,695 but there's also this level of clarity that 365 00:12:33,695 --> 00:12:34,434 you achieve 366 00:12:34,894 --> 00:12:36,415 where you really get to see who you 367 00:12:36,415 --> 00:12:36,915 are 368 00:12:37,295 --> 00:12:39,295 and what you're made of in these moments 369 00:12:39,295 --> 00:12:40,434 where it's incredibly 370 00:12:40,735 --> 00:12:41,235 difficult 371 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:44,519 and what it matters to you. And I 372 00:12:44,519 --> 00:12:46,600 think, you know, back to all of you 373 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,399 know, connecting this all back to mission and 374 00:12:49,399 --> 00:12:50,759 what our kid what I see our kids. 375 00:12:50,759 --> 00:12:52,539 That's what I see from our kids. Right? 376 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:54,519 You know, all of those things I talked 377 00:12:54,519 --> 00:12:56,554 about, suffering and pushing through the dark and 378 00:12:56,554 --> 00:12:58,634 pushing through doubt, our kids do that every 379 00:12:58,634 --> 00:13:00,475 day, and they're not just doing it for 380 00:13:00,475 --> 00:13:03,214 thirty hours. You know? They're doing it for 381 00:13:03,274 --> 00:13:05,615 months at a time, years at a time. 382 00:13:05,995 --> 00:13:07,934 And I think, again, that perspective 383 00:13:08,475 --> 00:13:08,975 of 384 00:13:09,339 --> 00:13:09,839 knowing 385 00:13:10,299 --> 00:13:10,799 that 386 00:13:11,259 --> 00:13:12,240 there's literally 387 00:13:12,860 --> 00:13:16,059 thousands of inspirational stories of these kids pushing 388 00:13:16,059 --> 00:13:16,879 and persevering 389 00:13:17,339 --> 00:13:19,179 and the strength and courage of what they're 390 00:13:19,179 --> 00:13:21,419 doing and facing and the teams that help 391 00:13:21,419 --> 00:13:23,634 them do that, you know, that's what I 392 00:13:23,634 --> 00:13:25,554 think about when I'm out there. And anytime 393 00:13:25,554 --> 00:13:27,394 the doubt starts to seep in, it's like, 394 00:13:27,394 --> 00:13:29,955 no. There is no doubt. Right now, there's 395 00:13:29,955 --> 00:13:32,274 a kid. His name is Daniel, and he's 396 00:13:32,274 --> 00:13:34,375 22 years old, and he is our hospital. 397 00:13:34,754 --> 00:13:36,455 And he has sickle cell disease. 398 00:13:37,519 --> 00:13:39,040 And if you've ever heard or know anything 399 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:40,639 about sickle cell disease, you know it's an 400 00:13:40,639 --> 00:13:42,420 incredibly painful disease, 401 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,160 when pain episodes are described as, like, shards 402 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,720 of glass running through your veins. Well, this 403 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:50,879 kid has it, but he also has a 404 00:13:50,879 --> 00:13:52,259 dream to become a pilot. 405 00:13:52,884 --> 00:13:54,725 And he hasn't let his disease stop him 406 00:13:54,725 --> 00:13:56,404 from wanting to become a pilot. He has 407 00:13:56,404 --> 00:13:56,904 completed 408 00:13:57,444 --> 00:13:58,664 all of the qualifications 409 00:13:59,044 --> 00:14:00,584 to become a commercial pilot. 410 00:14:01,284 --> 00:14:03,204 And one of the things that I'm just 411 00:14:03,204 --> 00:14:05,284 so incredibly proud of him and what we 412 00:14:05,284 --> 00:14:07,290 do at this hospital is but his sickle 413 00:14:07,290 --> 00:14:09,450 cell disease is preventing him from becoming a 414 00:14:09,450 --> 00:14:11,529 pilot because of of the disease and the 415 00:14:11,529 --> 00:14:12,350 pain episodes. 416 00:14:12,889 --> 00:14:14,730 But the FAA told him, if you are 417 00:14:14,809 --> 00:14:16,889 get cured of sickle cell, then you can 418 00:14:16,889 --> 00:14:18,889 become a pilot. And so he's completed all 419 00:14:18,889 --> 00:14:21,284 of his requirements. And now here at our 420 00:14:21,284 --> 00:14:22,884 hospital, we're only one of a handful of 421 00:14:22,884 --> 00:14:25,044 children's hospitals in the country that now can 422 00:14:25,044 --> 00:14:27,044 offer a cure for sickle cell disease that 423 00:14:27,044 --> 00:14:29,465 just happened last year. Medical history was made. 424 00:14:30,004 --> 00:14:32,424 And Daniel is here at 22, 425 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:34,480 and he's gonna be cured of sickle cell 426 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:36,720 disease. We're gonna cure him of this horrible 427 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,879 disease that he has struggled throughout his life 428 00:14:38,879 --> 00:14:41,279 with, but that hasn't stopped him from wanting 429 00:14:41,279 --> 00:14:43,039 to become a pilot. And at the end 430 00:14:43,039 --> 00:14:44,480 of this, he's gonna be cured of sickle 431 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:46,720 cell disease and gonna become able to become 432 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:48,674 a a pilot, and that's all gonna happen 433 00:14:48,674 --> 00:14:51,074 here. And, like, those are the stories that 434 00:14:51,074 --> 00:14:52,375 you think about of kids 435 00:14:52,914 --> 00:14:55,315 still pushing, having every excuse to not do 436 00:14:55,315 --> 00:14:57,634 something, and they still push past those excuses. 437 00:14:57,634 --> 00:14:59,875 They are stronger than their excuses, and they 438 00:14:59,875 --> 00:15:01,954 push through, and then we're here to help 439 00:15:01,954 --> 00:15:03,334 them get over that mountain. 440 00:15:03,929 --> 00:15:05,389 It's just you know? 441 00:15:05,769 --> 00:15:07,370 I can go on and on with stories 442 00:15:07,370 --> 00:15:08,110 of inspiration 443 00:15:08,410 --> 00:15:10,350 and how that's connecting me to 444 00:15:10,730 --> 00:15:12,809 wanting to make sure I do this and 445 00:15:12,809 --> 00:15:15,129 not for the finish line, not for a 446 00:15:15,129 --> 00:15:17,370 medal, but now to share their stories, all 447 00:15:17,370 --> 00:15:20,384 100 miles, all 100 of our kids, to 448 00:15:20,384 --> 00:15:21,764 share their amazing stories 449 00:15:22,625 --> 00:15:24,304 of just what they do and what they 450 00:15:24,304 --> 00:15:26,705 overcome and their strength. So it's it's pretty 451 00:15:26,705 --> 00:15:28,464 amazing. I'm blessed to get to do what 452 00:15:28,464 --> 00:15:30,625 I do every day. I'm blessed to see 453 00:15:30,625 --> 00:15:32,164 the teams that offer this, 454 00:15:32,784 --> 00:15:33,284 support, 455 00:15:33,745 --> 00:15:34,964 incredible care. 456 00:15:35,559 --> 00:15:37,160 It's just it's amazing. And we live in 457 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:38,519 the best city. I say all the time. 458 00:15:38,519 --> 00:15:39,960 There's no better place in New Orleans and 459 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:42,139 no greater cause than Manning Family Children's. 460 00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,279 Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. That's definitely so amazing. And 461 00:15:46,279 --> 00:15:48,279 thank you, so much for sharing all of 462 00:15:48,279 --> 00:15:50,379 that. But before I let you go, 463 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:52,684 what message do you hope your patients, 464 00:15:53,304 --> 00:15:55,384 staff, and the broader health care community take 465 00:15:55,384 --> 00:15:56,204 from this journey? 466 00:15:56,985 --> 00:15:59,144 You know what's what? The same message that 467 00:15:59,144 --> 00:16:01,304 our kids tell us every day. Never give 468 00:16:01,304 --> 00:16:01,804 up. 469 00:16:02,745 --> 00:16:05,245 Bottom line. Never give up. Keep pushing. 470 00:16:05,950 --> 00:16:08,129 Be stronger than your excuses. Overcome. 471 00:16:09,149 --> 00:16:12,029 And it's just that's the main message. You 472 00:16:12,029 --> 00:16:12,850 don't learn 473 00:16:13,389 --> 00:16:14,690 anything from quitting. 474 00:16:15,549 --> 00:16:18,529 And, you know, you finish what you started, 475 00:16:19,085 --> 00:16:21,164 and you get to the finish line, whatever 476 00:16:21,164 --> 00:16:23,164 that is, and never give up. 477 00:16:23,644 --> 00:16:26,065 Our kids' stories are one of overcoming 478 00:16:27,325 --> 00:16:27,825 positivity, 479 00:16:28,605 --> 00:16:30,544 of strength, of courage, of resilience, 480 00:16:31,325 --> 00:16:31,725 and, 481 00:16:32,684 --> 00:16:34,705 they never ever give up. 482 00:16:35,699 --> 00:16:37,539 Amazing. Amazing. Thank you so much for those 483 00:16:37,539 --> 00:16:39,959 final thoughts. It's definitely been a very informative 484 00:16:40,019 --> 00:16:41,860 discussion. So, again, I wanna thank you so 485 00:16:41,860 --> 00:16:44,019 much for coming on Beckus HealthCare, especially for 486 00:16:44,019 --> 00:16:45,940 the first time. And I look forward to 487 00:16:45,940 --> 00:16:48,500 connecting with you again soon. Great. Thanks so 488 00:16:48,500 --> 00:16:49,320 much, Mariah.