Heroes Among Us
This month, Hope for Henry served its 10,000th child at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. From birthday bashes and room redecorations, to our incentive programs Super Path to Super Duper Better and Super Rewards for Super Kids, our programs have proven both effective and popular, as it took only a short five years to reach this impressive milestone. None of this could have been possible without the support of the people of Baltimore and one man in particular: Lenny “Batman” Robinson.
Anyone who knew Lenny knew they were in the presence of a superhero. Lenny was dedicated to making life better for sick kids at hospitals in his hometown of Baltimore and across the country. Among the many extraordinary things about Lenny was the time and care he put into each of his visits. It took him hours to get into his impressive Batman costume. He took meticulous care of his two Batmobiles. He spent time encouraging every single child and family he met. He cared. He loved. He did what every one of us should do with our lives, which is to leave the world a better place than he found it. He understood that while every kid likes to imagine what it would be like to have superpowers like flying through the air, being incredibly strong, or running really fast — some kids need visits from their heroes to help them heal.
Lenny’s tragic death in 2015 left a hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. It also left Sinai Hospital’s kids without their hometown hero. Before Lenny’s life was cut short, Dr. Aziza Shad — who had been Henry’s doctor at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital where Hope for Henry was founded and had been working for 12 years — became the Chair of Pediatrics of Sinai Hospital. Together with Lenny’s family and friends, Hope for Henry committed to ensuring the kids would not go without the joy Lenny had brought them. We joined together to bring the Lenny “Batman” Robinson Hope for Henry Program to Sinai Hospital and ensure that Lenny and Henry — heroes to so many — could join as a Team of Heroes, making life better for the sickest kids in Baltimore.
It took the combined effort of a few exceptional individuals to make this program a reality. Todd Foreman, Lenny’s best friend, and a prominent business leader catalyzed the process by organizing and inspiring his peers to fund our expansion into the hospital. It takes a great deal of courage to turn grief into motivation. Todd’s ability to turn Lenny’s life mission into a rallying cry was truly inspiring for the community around Sinai. His leadership proves invaluable for Hope for Henry’s continued growth, as in the years following our expansion into Sinai, Todd’s expertise and experience have elevated him to his current role as Hope for Henry’s Chairman of the Board.
Hope for Henry Child Life Specialist Kelly Beck has been essential to the program’s success since Day One. Kelly is a true dynamo. Her commitment to care has taken many forms, from producing her own anti-anxiety videos for surgery-bound patients, to working with teachers and administrators to support a patient returning to school, to being the lynchpin to Hope for Henry’s success in serving 10,000 young patients. Kelly is realizing Hope for Henry’s promise to reinvent how hospitals care for kids and is this month’s recipient of Hope for Henry’s Super User Award.
Five years ago, we committed to honoring our friend Lenny. We believe he would be proud to see his life’s work in action with an entire community by his side. Each of the 10,000 children we have served is living proof of the indisputable power of superheroes.
