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Texas Children's is committed to quality patient care for all children served-regardless of a family's ability to pay. We provide an average of $80 million in charity care and community outreach annually, helping thousands of medically underserved children receive free primary health care and preventive education through programs like our Mobile Clinics and Project Medical Home.
 With a thatch of thick brown hair and large hazel eyes, Nick Sauter is a healthy, lively 9-year-old who loves playing football. Five years ago the story was much different, when Nick was diagnosed with leukemia at the tender age of 4.
"We visited the clinic on November 27, 2004, and I had mother's intuition that something wasn't right," Missy Sauter said. "He had a cough and his legs hurt. Plus, I lifted up his shirt and there was a big, raised bruise. Twenty minutes later the nurse came in and closed the door, and we were told it looked like Nick had leukemia. At that moment, our world turned upside down."
Nick underwent two-and-a-half-years of treatment with chemotherapy and is now cancer free! For the Sauters, the joy of having Nick cancer-free is compounded with the enjoyment they get from helping others. Through a nonprofit organization they founded-called Nicky's Journey-they assemble gift packs for newly diagnosed patients that include a portable DVD and a gift-card to Walmart so patients can purchase DVDs.
"We've given away 200 so far," Missy said. "When kids are in the clinic, there are TVs, but sometimes kids just want to curl up in a corner and have their own DVD so they can watch what they want to watch and play the games they want to play. It's our way of paying it forward."
Today, just a short visit with Nick Sauter will let you know he is wise beyond his years and things that may bother some children, don't seem to bother Nick since facing his battle with cancer. Recently Missy took Nick shopping for a new pair of converse tennis shoes. Missy picked up a pair of chocolate brown shoes and asked Nick if he liked them. He told her that he would rather have the pink.
Missy was torn about letting him get the pink shoes fearing other kids would tease him and pick on him. When she stated her concern to Nick he looked at her and said - "Mommy, I survived cancer, I'm not worried about the color of my shoes. If anyone says anything I'm going to tell them I make pink look good!"
We could all probably learn a lesson from young Nick Sauter.
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Fundraising Progress ($11,589):
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