One of our most passionate supporters, artist, poet and writer Deana Tavares, who herself is a former patient, volunteer and hospital employee, has written a marvelous blog post about the voices who are "still unheard" in this effort, and about her experiences at the rally last week.

Deana writes:

The people of the state of Massachusetts have not been fully heard regarding this matter, and that is a very sad result of politics and administrators constructing a picture of just what they want the public to believe.

What I witnessed on 10/20/2016 was a drastically different picture. A rather large group of newscasters seemed extremely interested in what Friends of Prouty Garden had to say in front of the statehouse’s gold dome beaming with sunlight. On this crisp fall day there was a good sized turnout of Prouty supporters which was pretty well-balanced by the number of reporters that attended. They were engaged, inquisitive, some even tearing up at the testimonies of various speakers, volunteers, doctors, a priest.

In my own experiences I have spoken with countless individuals regarding this matter. All of the garden supporters that I have come into contact with have all expressed their love and deep gratitude for this hospital, as well as their staff. Most feel as if the administration is acting alone and not taking their own caregivers into consideration. I consider that very dishonorable for such a high ranking institution that would not exist without those very individuals that walk through their doors each and every day and deal with the most extreme and difficult cases.

You can read Deana's full column on her website: https://jummyjeenz.com/2016/10/22/many-voices-still-unheard-boston-childrens-hospital-expansion-decision/.

Photo credit: Oriana Diaz