I got to spend some time with my buddy and colleague Samson Cantu, M.D., and his wife Clara (a former educator) last month, along with 18 local high school juniors and seniors. We had an awesome time together and I wanted to tell you about it.

Many of you may know Dr. Cantu. He’s been treating kiddos with the Cook Children’s Gastroenterology team since 2011 and probably takes care of many of your kiddos. He’s a popular guy. Last year, you all chose him to be the doctor who was slimed during our annual Slime-A-Doc competition. I think that means you love him, right?

He is a true gem of a doctor – real, funny, honest, kind, and smart. So when he told me he was running year two of a program called “Saturday Morning Medicine” and would I like to volunteer my time, how could I say no?

Dr. Cantu grew up with asthma, so his childhood was spent seeing a lot of doctors and nurses, like his pediatrician and all the different types of ER staff. The constant exposure to medical folks peaked his interest in a career in medicine. At the end of high school, “[he] was fortunate enough to be accepted into an 8-year combined undergraduate and medical school program, and this paved the way for me to become a doctor!”

Since becoming a pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. C decided it was time to give back to his community.

Dr. Cantu and Mrs. Cantu decided to develop a program in Fort Worth that would encourage and nurture the participation and education of high schoolers who were interested in a career in the medical field.

Last year, the Cantus went to all the Fort Worth ISD high schools that offer Anatomy and Physiology classes and proposed their program “Saturday Morning Medicine” to the students.

The students had to apply and be accepted into the program. Parts of the application included essay questions asking the students why they were interested in a career in medicine. It was no joke – they really needed to be serious about their career plans!

Applications trickled in year one, and more than doubled for this year’s session! The students love it!

The seniors and juniors learn about medical careers over four Saturday sessions per spring. They get to visit different parts of Cook Children’s Medical Center including the simulation lab, hear various speakers (doctors, nurses, therapists), and also get some one-on-one time with volunteers (that’s where I came in)!

My two students and I talked about all sorts of things – what they hoped to do one day, how school was going, how to plan for the future, and what to do to meet those big goals.

It was so fun – and it was really cool to watch these kids soak in all the information and get ahead of the game. I found myself wishing I had had this opportunity as a high schooler!

If you’re in a medical field (doctor, nurse, child life, therapist of any type, allied health, everyone!) and you’re interested in giving back to the community and these amazing kids, please leave your email address in the comments and the Cantus may contact you soon to volunteer for “Saturday Morning Medicine”!

You won’t regret it and can really make an impact in these teenagers’ lives.

Who were they kidding? There's no emotional prepping anyone could do at that time. So, off to the OR for delivery we went. Talk about scared! They gave my baby a 10 percent chance of survival and they gave me a death sentence if they didn't deliver right then and there.

Graysen was brought into this world three months early weighing 1.4 pounds and not crying, or breathing. I remember seeing that he was the size of the nurse’s hand when she was working on him. I got to take one look at him before they had to intubate him immediately to get him breathing, since he was turning blue.

They then hurried away with him to the delivering hospital’s NICU. He was supposed to be born on March 15th (spring break baby) and he came into this world right before Christmas. With only a diaper the size of a tiny flip cell phone (which was the phone we had 10 years ago!), and under a heat lamp for warmth, inch by inch, ounce by ounce, he grew.

Weeks into life, the doctors decided to start feeding him by NG tube (Nasogastric tube that runs through the nose and into the stomach for feeds).

He did fine tolerating the feeds until he got an infection in the intestines, called necrotizing enterocolitis, also known as Nec. This made his belly swell up and, if not cured properly, could have resulted in a hole in the intestines, which is fatal. Surviving Nec was thought to be low. The doctors called to inform me that he was not doing so well and needed to be transferred by Teddy Bear Transport to the Medical Center’s NICU.

They loaded him up and took him by ambulance after two months in the NICU where he was born to begin his next few months of growing. Cook Children’s slowly nursed him back to better health, and, luckily, Graysen did not need surgery on his intestines. Miraculously, he pulled through another obstacle.

Weeks went by before they attempted to feed him again. In the meantime, the doctors had a central line surgically put into his chest so he could receive his nutrients properly. After a few weeks of feeds, the doctors started to see major improvement. They took him off the respirator and put him on a high flow nasal cannula to help with Graysen’s oxygenation and breathing. He did great with this new machine. Now breathing well, it was time to introduce the bottle at around 3 months. He took it, but not all of it.

The doctors had to decide what to do about the feeds he was leaving behind. They decided to put a G-button surgically into his stomach so that the left over feeds could be received by tube. This was the turning point. The hardest decision I had to make. Once that G-button was placed, I would have a medically dependent child.

After being in the NICU for five months, this was the only way he would be able to come home, and I was ready for that day. I gave the doctors the approval, and off to his first surgery he went. That was the first of 14 surgeries he would have throughout his first 10 years of life. Surgeries followed including fundoplication (an operation to prevent stomach contents from returning to the esophagus), hernia repairs, tonsillectomy, and a tethered spinal cord repair. Just to name a few. His spinal cord was taut at the end and neurosurgery was scheduled at 12 months. He caught meningitis after the surgery and, once again, beat dangerous odds.

Graysen went through so much that he didn’t eat. For six years, he was completely tube fed. He went through many years of intensive feeding therapy. He still didn’t want to eat orally. I put him in kindergarten and he saw his peers eating by mouth. That sparked an interest and, at 6 years old, he started eating. Now he demolishes whole cheeseburgers and fries! Not only has he beat death numerous times, he's gone through 14 surgeries and countless doctor appointments getting him to where he is now. This kid is here for a reason. This month we celebrate Graysen's 10th year of LIVING! Graysen is my Christmas miracle.

I could not have done this alone. I am so thankful that I had, and still have, a great network of people working together at Cook Children’s. Without their dedication to their job and to children, I don’t know if Graysen would have made it. Dr. Nancy Dambro was one of his main doctors from the time Graysen was born. Dr. Michael Deitchman has been his pediatrician through all the rollercoaster ups and downs. I can’t thank him enough for his support, countless visits and patience with us. We also see Dr. Jose Iglesias, Dr. Jill Radack, Dr. Bankole Osuntokun and Dr. Fernando Acosta.

It takes a village in Graysen’s case, and I’m glad our village is Cook Children’s!