“On the third day after my amputation, Dr. Dunsmore says I am healing fast and I don’t need any more blood or antibiotics pumped through my IV,” Josh Sundquist recalls in his new book, Just Don’t Fall . “So she pulls out the last tube, the one in my port. They are all gone. I am free.” Almost a decade after receiving treatment for a rare bone cancer at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, Sundquist, now 25 years old, used his freedom from illness to ski in the 2006 Paralympics in Turin, Italy. On Tuesday, March 2, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at UVA Alumni Hall, Sundquist will share his inspiring message about how he made his dream come true. R. Edward Howell, vice president and CEO of the UVA Medical Center, will share the realization of another dream that has long been in the making. Howell will reveal the architectural floor plans for the UVA Children’s Hospital Barry and Bill Battle Building. In 2013, the Barry and Bill Battle Building will provide outpatient services for children in a family-centered environment. The Battle Building will bring together services currently provided at the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center, the 4 th floor of the Primary Care Center, clinics at Fontaine Research Park, and several other locations throughout Charlottesville. The Battle Building will be located at the corner of West Main Street and Jefferson Park Avenue. It will have connections to the UVA Medical Center, the new 11 th Street Parking Garage and the East Garage via enclosed, climate-controlled pedestrian walkways. Sundquist knows the complexities of having a serious childhood illness, which is one of the reasons he lends his support to the UVA Children’s Hospital and invites the Central Virginia and Shenandoah Valley communities to do the same. This event is free. Those who wish to attend may register by emailing rsvp.hsdo@virginia.edu or by calling 434-924-8432. Reporters wishing to cover this event should call the UVA Health System Public Relations Office at (434) 243-2734.
