News

Actions

Palm Beach Children's Hospital nurses surprise young cancer patient with a flash mob sendoff

Posted at 4:27 PM, Feb 23, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-23 18:44:53-05

Wearing a shirt that said, "I must go," 5-year-old Jackson Hunter left Palm Beach Children's Hospital.

"I was in for a big surprise, I was in for a treat," he said.

A team of familiar faces all got together for a not so familiar dance.

"I have two left feet, so I try to do it as basic as possible," said Giovanna Ortiz, a registered nurse at the hospital. "Jackson has a special place in all our hearts, so we know we had to do something extra special for him."

The nurses and other members of the medical team got together and organized a flash mob send off for Jackson, who's battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He was diagnosed in August 2015.

"They're family," said Gina Hunter, Jackson's mom.

"We didn't tell the parents, we kept it between the nurses," said Ortiz.

Jackson left the hospital, headed for Philadelphia, where he will take part in a trial called Car T Cell Therapy. Initially Medicaid said no to paying for the treatment, because it's a trial. But after thousands rallied around the country, they changed their decision.

He will be back at the hospital here in Palm Beach County in about six weeks, hopefully on the road to recovery.

"I couldn't stop crying, that was amazing," said Gina Hunter, reflecting on the special surprise.