More letters!



First off all I just want to thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to tell my story to the world. I have received so many encouraging e-mails from people who suffer  just like me... and from those who just took time to tell me that they will pray for me. Keep up the good work God is using you in a powerful way. Good things will come to those who help others...

Wow!!! What a terrific site you have put together!!  I absolutely love it.  It is so helpful, so simple, so full of humor and valuable information -- what more can I say?  Keep up the fantastic work!

I get picked on a lot because of my heart problems.  The advice I have learned will give me an idea what to do and say.

I love Bandaides and Blackboards- what a pleasure to read about real life experiences. I have added it to favorites and will try to read everything in time. 

I have included your wonderful website in a course entitled "Resources About Disabilities" for our local library system for a number of reasons.  First, it's soooo "kid friendly", second the layout is simple and to the point, and third it's obvious you have a well-developed sense of humor in addition to your extensive background. Just thought you'd like to know that others have found and use your web site on a regular basis.

I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you.  I am a parent of a child with special needs.  I first visited your site a couple of years ago, through a link on a hypotonia site, my daughter's primary disability.  I visit your site every few months to see what's new and have enjoyed everything you've put up.  Thanks so much for being here. 

Thank you for sharing this valuable information (About imagination). It is when people like you put out their gifts, others like myself have an easier time healing ourselves and the world.

You are truly an amazing person with a BIG heart.  Thanks so much for sharing all this information with people of all ages and professions.  I will use  this as my new resource on the internet, and share it with the others at the Juvenile Scleroderma Network. Out of all websites this is truly above #1. 

I love your Web site!  It is a delight in both graphics and content. As the parent of a young adult with multiple handicaps, I found it both practical and supportive.

I love your site both as a teacher and a parent who has a child with diabetes even though she is now 29. I wish I had something like this 22 years ago.

First, congratulations for the wonderful resource you have created with your Bandaides and Blackboards website. You have, as I'm sure you know,  a very valuable site for kids and Health Education teachers as well.

I am a new peds nursing instructor and I want the students to see children, not little people with diseases.  Many of the pages made me cry and will certainly make pediatric patients 'real' for my students. The website is a wonderful gift to us all. Thank you! 

Just discovered your site and am delighted...kudos for this remarkable resource!

Have just discovered your Bandaides and Blackboards website and wanted to congratulate you. It's a great site!

I am a pediatrician and child psychiatry resident.  I belive your site is wonderful, and I plan to tell my patienst and their families about it.  Thanks for your hard work!

I love the web site, I think it is just FANTASTIC!!!! I printed out the leukemia poem you wrote...it is wonderful.  It touches on all the aspects of the disease and it rhymes!!!

I really enjoyed the poems on your website. They brought tears to my eyes and they brought to light just how horrible people can be towards others. I would just like to say next time I hear any negative comments about people with differences, I will be giving them some stern words and a few of the poems in the hopes that they might then put themselves in the shoes of some of these amazing kids for a day. Thanks for sharing.

I have just found your site - I have not looked through it properly yet - but I think it is totally amazing!  I am a Montessort teacher in South Africa, and totally relate to your fun-filled and colourful pages!  They are really great!

Found this site by accident. I am a nurse and a mother and think this is absolutely wonderful.You are very special!!!!

I stumbled across your "hospital tour" on the web and I nearly threw up.  No disrespect intended.  You did a great job and it is a WONDERFUL resource for children who need to be hospitalized.  But it broke my heart and made me nauseus when I contrasted the hospitalization experiences of children who are hospitalized for neurobiological brain disorders also known as psychiatric illnesses. So many children are treated abysmally because they are hospitalized for illnesses for which they are BLAMED!...The pretty pictures of caring and knowledgeable staff are such a complete contrast that I felt compelled to write.

I am a resident in pediatrics and I found the bandaids and blackboads website recently.  I think that it is an excellent website and I plan to tell my patients to reference it. 

Just a brief note to say what a great site you have produced. I edit a magazine for ostomates in the UK and would like to promote your site to them. Many thanks for putting such a positive site together.  I am sure that you have inspired many people.

What a great website! I am a student, training to be a nursery nurse in the UK.  I was browsing as I am doing research into chronic diseases in children and I came across your site.  It is excellent.  I have added it to my favourites list so I can look at it in depth when I am not driven to find information.

I am a new school nurse in an elementary school and I just came upon your website - it is wonderful!! Thank you so much for such a
delightful way to give so much information.

 I am an RN serving as a volunteer Parish nurse for my congregation for the past 8 years.  To offer your site to my peers and those in my care will be a wonderful new option. I have been close to several families with ill children and have a great- nephew who is a "miracle kid" as a left hypoplastic heart child.  He is now 7yrs old, and there is never a moment when his mom and dad are not on call and vigilant for his sudden changes that can signal grave troubles.  I know kids with cancer and several of them do writings and art work to ease their stresses and tell their story. I know they will be eager to see your site!  Keep up the incredible good work on behalf of the children.  I look forward to sharing this info re: your Bandaids and Blackboard site at my next Parish nurse network meeting. I am glad I was searching thru my past AJN's today!  Thanks! 

I visited your site while doing research today and was very, very impressed with your content and your layout. Your site is an incredible resource, and I've never seen anything like it so well targeted to its different audiences.

Wow, I think your website is AWESOME. I think every kid in America should visit it. I was amazed that the children my age, 13, can handle all of those problems. It was really inspiring, and I'm going to recommend the site to all of my friends. 

I just wanted to send you a personal note to THANK YOU for this wonderful website! Please keep up the fantastic job you are doing!!  You provide an invaluable resource to not only the children living with a chronic or debilitating illness, but their parents and teachers as well.

I think your site is sensational on many levels--a true gift to others-- and I would like to tell others about it so they can discover it, too.

I loved, loved, loved your site!!!!.  I'm so glad my 12 yr old son told me about it... I always teach him there are still good people in this world.  You just have to keep looking...  You must be a great person to do such a charitable act for others.  We wish you the all the best life has to offer and most of all ....love.

I accidentally came across this web page.  Thankfully I should say.  I have a nephew who has a chronic blood disorder and is having surgery in a couple of weeks.  He has been going through an emotional roller coaster.  I gave this site to my brother in hopes that it helps.  How wonderful this page was.  I am an adult and cried reading these stories from these children. 

I began looking through these pages 2 weeks ago on a mission to analyze your website for a paper I had to write for my college english class.  I was extremely impressed with all the information. When I was younger my best friend died of leukemia, and because of that, my interest in learning about children with medical problems is high.  Thank you so much for this site. My life is better because  of it.

I want to thank you for your site.  I have a four month old daughter who was born with lots of medical problems.  We still don't have everything diagnosed yet and it seems we will be dealing with doctors for quite a long time.  It is difficult to imagine what her future holds for her.  Reading the stories of these kids gave me the first bit of hope that I have had since this ordeal began.  It is nice to know that there is a chance for my baby girl to grow up happy, despite the medical problems that she will have to deal with.  She has a beautiful smile and is such a happy girl, I am glad to know that she may be able to keep her happiness despite the fact that she will not grow up the same way as a  "normal" child.  Thank you again.

I surfed by while looking for information on adolescent health... I'm stunned by the excellence of your site...You're an inspiration ... I'm passing on the site to pediatric nurse friends...

Hiya!  Id just like to say that I think your site is the best on the net by far. It helps teenagers feel like they're not alone. Keep up the great work!  I'll certainly tell my friends about your site because I think it would be of great interest to everyone, medical conditions or not! Thanx a million. 

This site was inspirational for all the hope and joy these children have brought. It is great that you put other information for siblings and also ways to deal with the outside world since it can be a scary and frightening place...I know it is for me since I have my own health problems to contend with.  I hope this site sticks around.

This is such a wonderful site!!  I haven't even got to read half of it yet...you have done a wonderful job.  I stayed up late last night e-mailing this site to every teacher, aide, resource person in my son's school.

Found this site by accident. I am a nurse and a mother and think this is absolutely wonderful.You are very special!!!!

I just thought I would drop a line and let you know that I love your site! I imagine you have heard this many times already....but who gets tired of compliments :)

I was really touched by your website. I haven't had time to look over the whole site yet. I am a moderator for the Child and Adolescent Foundation for Bi-polar kids. Many of our kids are severely handicapped by their illness and isolated. They take serious medications such as depakote, respirdal, tegretol, seroquel, etc. They are often misunderstood by peers, educators and even professional. In our chat room we support parents daily who being blamed for their childrens problems are themselves on the verge of nervous collapse. We try to support them and steer them to the proper resources. I believe that your site would be very helpful to kids and parents, often our kids are hospitalized too. I played the dophin music and that song "higher than an eagle" is one of my all time favorites. Thank you for the love that comes through your website.

Your site is absolutely wonderful...I am going to refer others. Thanks for creating it!

Just wanted to tell you how moved I was when I read the letter from the Dolphin to a child on your site. I'm looking after my Dad who is very ill...and has been for some time now...I only wish he could hear this music...it made me cry. Thank you so much

Your website brought tears to my eyes! Kudos for your bright pages, and attention to what could make kids smile! I am looking for resources for teachers. I will pass your address on.

Want to read some more letters?
Four more pages...


 To the frog ponds
 To send your comments
 To the site map

Joan Fleitas, Ed.D., R.N.
 Associate Professor of Nursing, Lehman College, CUNY
 Bronx, New York 10468

  Last updated: March 5, 2005