Published: June 27, 2014
Students from Okemos Public Montessori at Central presented a $180 check to the Sparrow Children's Center Thursday in honor of Lacey Holsworth. Shown during the presentation are Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor, M.D., a Sparrow and MSU Pediatric and Adolescent Hematologist/Oncologist, student Dominic Blatnik and teacher Paul Doher.
They didn't know Lacey Holsworth, but the students at Okemos Public Montessori at Central knew they wanted to honor her. The children donated $180 collected during their annual loose change drive to the Sparrow Children's Center, where Lacey received care.
"She was about the same age as our kids," said teacher Paul Doher. "You feel something."
Nine-year-old student Dominic Blatnik created a mock check and presented it to Sparrow Thursday with his mother Cathy Blatnik and Doher.
Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor, M.D., a Sparrow Pediatric and Adolescent Hematologist/Oncologist with Michigan State University's Pediatric Sub-Specialty Clinic, accepted the donation on behalf of the Sparrow Children's Center. The students requested the money be donated to the Sparrow Pediatric Rehabilitation Fund. Lacey's spirited battle against cancer drew support from all over the nation, including her friend Adreian Payne and the Michigan State basketball team. The 8-year-old St. Johns girl died in April.
"Lacey needed a lot of rehab in the early portion of her diagnosis," said Dr. Scott-Emuakpor. "I'm really impressed and very moved that children can be so sensitive. Giving this in honor of Lacey is a reflection of what the Sparrow Pediatric Rehabilitation Fund has been able to accomplish.
For more than a century, Sparrow has been a leader in caring for children. The first hospital in mid-Michigan to offer a dedicated children's unit, Sparrow today is home to the region's only full-service pediatric emergency department. As the region's Children's Miracle Network hospital, Sparrow is able to provide families the most advanced technology and treatment options in pediatric and neonatal care.