Isabel Heals and Gives Back with Courage

Like many families, we didn’t realize how important it is to live near a wonderful hospital until we needed one. In August 2025, our middle child, Isabel, fell and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

An ambulance quickly took us to the Trauma Center at Children’s National. My husband, Chris, and I were scared, but we felt calm knowing that our daughter was in the best hands. Immediately, doctors and nurses helped explain what was happening to her brain. While she didn’t require surgery, her skull fracture needed time, monitoring and multidisciplinary rehabilitation to properly heal.

Our support didn’t end with our hospital stay. Her weekly physical therapy, check-ins with the Safe Concussion Outcome Recovery Education (SCORE) team and communication between her doctors, school and pediatrician eased every step of her recovery.

Isabel doesn’t view the hospital as a scary place. She sees it as another part of her world —filled with bright colors, hot air balloons, her favorite bear and kind smiles everywhere she goes. She remembers the nurses and child life specialists who distracted her during blood draws and before her CT scans. She treasures the goody bag of toys she received. As a family, we knew we wanted to help other kids discover this feeling.

We joined Champions for Children’s National to give back and teach our kids to empathize and help others. Through our involvement, we show our children how to share love and support other local families through real world experiences.

At the group’s Autumn in Action event, we assembled care kits for patients and contributed to a mural to display in the hospital. Our biggest highlight, however, was the surprise of seeing Isabel’s SCORE team doctor, Dr. Gioia, and his whole family. In that moment, and throughout Isabel’s care, we felt deeply lucky to be part of a community we can always count on.