Stories of H.A.L.O.'s Impact

Peg Knox, Director of Nursing Services

When Margaret "Peg" Knox was in sixth grade, she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. It was a toss up: either a cook or a nurse. She ended up in pediatric nursing, making a life's work of caring for disabled and medically fragile children. .

"In her 43 plus years at Cedarcrest Center, Peg has at every turn worked to make Cedarcrest a home first and foremost: a place where each child is loved, cared for and ensured an opportunity to do all the things children do," says Cathy Gray, President and CEO.

As she prepares to retire in 2012, Peg admits she initially resisted working at the farmhouse that served as Cedarcrest's first "happy home for handicapped children." She only gave it a try because her mentor at Elliott Hospital, pediatrician Charles McMurphy, kept insisting it was a match. He was right. First she spent one day a week, then two, then all of her time "on the mountain."[read on]

• Family Circle: Swim and Sing recreational programs, respite and resources for families
• H.A.L.O. CAN: Assistance for families filing paperwork for legal guardianship
• Holiday gift program at pediatric nursing homes
• Matching gifts to families for non-medical equipment, including adaptive tricycles and wheelchair lifts for vans, made to families who care for children at home
• H.A.L.O. Holidays: medically supported mini-vacations to help families bond outside nursing home walls
• Grants to programs carrying out H.A.L.O.'s mission

Shannon, shown at age 5, inspired her family to build a playground.

One day the Andrews family took a vacation, leaving their profoundly disabled daughter in the competent hands of respite staff at Mayflower (now Radius) Pediatric Center in Plymouth, MA. When they returned her giggles and smiles told them she had enjoyed her stay.