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Harry Potter Premier Comes to Lombardi Pediatrics Clinic

At 9 am on the morning of Saturday, July 21st, a hush did not descend over the crowd as the important moment neared. Laurie Strongin finally raised her voice over the din to announce that it was now time for Lombardi’s youngest patients to receive the latest and final Harry Potter book. Children dashed to pick up their books and settled in the read the first chapter, or to open their goody bag of gifts that included a wand from Ollivander’s wand shop.

At four hospitals nationwide, 275 copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows were bought for patients who may have been to sick to line up at bookstores. Then at 9 am the next morning, patients, survivors, and their families gathered in the Children’s Cancer Foundation Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Clinic at Lombardi to celebrate the release of the book.

"Kids undergoing bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy live in isolation so they can't line up at midnight at a bookstore with everyone else," said Laurie, who is President of the Hope for Henry Foundation and Henry’s mother. "Hope for Henry will bring the book – along with capes and wands, chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts jelly beans – to these hospitalized kids to make sure they don't miss out on the fun."

"Like all other kids, our patients have been anticipating the release of the final Harry Potter book for months, but many are just too sick to go to a bookstore," explained Aziza Shad, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.

60 books were distributed that morning, and kids in capes and Harry Potter glasses whizzed through the clinic listening to a reading of the first chapter as a player piano played theme music from the movies in the background. Hanging from the ceiling were the house pennants for the four houses at Hogwarts, and covering up the familiar sites of “Georgetown Village” were posters from the movies.

"Harry Potter is a symbol. Harry went through so much adversity," added Laurie. "With determination and courage, and lots of help from friends, he pulls through."

The Hope for Henry Foundation is a result of bonds forged through Henry's illness. An aunt in Minneapolis, Minn., lined up with the Strongin family to buy copies at midnight for another release party at a hospital where Henry once received a bone marrow transplant.

"Hope for Henry understands the importance of bringing the joys of a normal childhood to our patients,” said Aziza Shad, MD, chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. “The Harry Potter book party will do more than deliver books, it will provide smiles that will last for days, weeks and months."

Since December 2004, the Foundation has provided more than 1000 children, ages 2-21, at its partner hospitals a choice of their own new iPod, portable DVD player, digital camera, XM Satellite Radio or Nintendo Gameboy to entertain them while they fight to get better. In addition to holding Harry Potter book parties for the last two books in the series, the Hope for Henry Foundation sponsors summer carnivals, super hero celebrations and Halloween parties for thousands of hospitalized children throughout the year. To learn more about the Foundation, visit http://www.hopeforhenry.org.