One person made all the difference during Virginia Bicksler’s six-week stay at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta during the summer of 2023: Hannah Randall, the artist in residence. Randall gave Virginia the opportunity to create something beautiful amid dire circumstances. Now Virginia’s family has made it their mission to ensure more hospitalized children have the same experience.
Virginia was just four-and-a-half months old when she spiked a fever of 104 and vomited while on vacation in Florida.
“I called our pediatrician and they said to drive back home to Atlanta and take her to the emergency room,” said Virginia’s mother, Leslie Bicksler, 38. “We went to the ER, she got antibiotics, and they sent us home. She didn’t improve, so we went back and got a different antibiotic. By the third time we went to the ER, our pediatrician instructed us to stay until her fever went down. That led to a six-week stay.”
Virginia had bilateral pneumonia and granulomas in her lungs. She nearly went septic and could have died. The Bickslers were told the granulomas were a common bacterium that her body should have been able to fight but wasn’t. Her body could not make hydrogen peroxide, which meant it couldn’t fight off certain bacterial and fungal infections. She was diagnosed with a white blood cell disorder called Chronic Granulomatous Disease, so rare, only 1 in 200 million people have it. There are 49 babies diagnosed in the United States each year.
Credit: Courtesy of the Bicksler family
Credit: Courtesy of the Bicksler family
Virginia was prescribed daily medicines and Leslie, and her husband, Jeff, were instructed to keep their daughter out of areas with decaying plant matter, which meant no digging in the dirt, no wood mulch playgrounds, no lakes, no hay or horses, and so on.
“The daily medicine kept her CGD in check and we were told the cure would, down the road, be a bone marrow transplant,” said Leslie.
In 2019, the Bickslers welcomed their second daughter, Lizzie, when Virginia was 4. They were delighted to learn Lizzie was a bone marrow match for her sister. They planned to use a mix of her cord blood and stem cell harvest for transplant in May 2020, but that plan was thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The procedure was moved to July 2023. Virginia, 8 at the time, stayed at Children’s Egleston location for six weeks. She received chemotherapy a week before the surgery to ablate her immune system and wipe out her stem cells.
Virginia, described by her mother as a happy child with a positive attitude, felt well during her first week. Her doctor asked her to walk 10 laps around the ward and she did 33 while listening to Taylor Swift. But by day 12, the effects of chemo ravaged her body. The mucous lining in her nose, mouth, throat, and stomach sloughed off. Her mouth bled, she couldn’t swallow, and she required a feeding tube because she couldn’t eat or take medications. When four days passed without Virginia getting out of bed, the staff told Leslie she had to get her up.
“I instantly told them we needed to get Hannah,” said Leslie.
Credit: Courtesy of the Bicksler family
Credit: Courtesy of the Bicksler family
Hannah Randall is the artist in residence at Children’s Egleston location. She visited Virginia a few times earlier during her stay. Together they made slime, painted, and drew pictures. Virginia loved it.
“I serve patients and families through art, providing a normal environment for distraction and a therapeutic outlet,” said Randall, 33. “I have an open studio art room in the hospital where families come to create and get out of their rooms, but I also serve patients, like Virginia, who can’t leave their rooms.”
Virginia could not speak, but when Randall walked into her room on that difficult day, her mom saw a twinkle return to her daughter’s eyes. Randall was just the motivation Virginia needed to get out of bed.
The Artist in Residence program is 100% donor funded. After experiencing the impact Randall had on Virginia’s treatment and recovery, the Bicksler family wanted to ensure other children would have access to the service. They launched an online fundraiser with a goal of raising $100,000.
“It would be great to expand the program and fundraisers are immensely helpful,” said Randall. “There are so many positive, healing properties that come through art. We’d love to work with as many families as possible, but currently, there are only three artists in residence on staff across three locations. The goal has always been to grow.”
The Bicksler family hopes their fundraiser enables Children’s to hire another artist in residence and hopes other families hear the words they recently heard: “Your child is cured.”
Virginia, a smiley third-grader with bright Irish eyes and fiery red hair, is cured of CGD. She plays sports and is looking forward to summer camp, where, for the first time, she will jump into the lake with her friends. She’s also gardening with her family in their backyard. Her job used to be limited to plucking vegetables from plants. Now she’s planting seeds.
If you would like to donate to the Bicksler family’s fundraiser in support of the Artist in Residence program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, visit: https://give.choa.org/site/TR/Events/ClickforKids?px=1990785&pg=personal&fr_id=1080
Credit: Courtesy of the Bicksler family
Credit: Courtesy of the Bicksler family
