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The patient
Patient Juliana Buckley was wide awake at 12:11 a.m. when the Children's News team arrived at her room on 10 East. The Concord, N.H., resident has cystic fibrosis and was recently admitted for a stress-related breathing problem. A self-proclaimed night owl, Juliana explained that she prefers evenings at the hospital. "I hate lights," she said. "Even at home, I keep the shades down."
She considers nights at the hospital to be very similar to days, only with fewer nurses coming in and out to take her vitals signs and administer her medications. But unfortunately, Juliana's nurses, doctors and family members have been her only real visitors lately, as she has been restricted to her room due to her breathing problem.
Content to be on her own, Juliana, whose grandmother Julie was staying with her for the night, passes the time at night by coloring or listening to the radio until she feels tired enough to hit the hay. But on this particular night, something else was keeping her occupied—her 11th birthday. After a quiet rendition (so as not to wake any of the other patients) of "Happy Birthday" sung by the News team, her grandmother and one of the nightshift nurses, Juliana seemed about ready to call it a night. "Thank you for stopping by," she called, as if we were old friends.
