MUSEUM HOSTS CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK CHAMPION   The National Museum of Health and Medicine recently hosted a Children’s Miracle Network Champion (CMN) for a VIP tour and a look “behind the scenes.” Katie Vacanti Mitchell is a 14 year old battling leukemia and currently receiving treatments at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. She was chosen as a CMN Champion for her charitable contributions to other children and families also battling cancer. During her stay in the hospital for treatments, Katie noticed that other families often did not have the means to eat in the cafeteria everyday or to make long distance phone calls to relatives. She decided to start a charity called “Katie’s Helping Hands,” raising money to give to families staying with their sick children in the hospital. The charity has raised $30,000 to give to families in need. Lenore Barbian, Ph.D., curator of anatomical collections, shows a cross section of a knee to the Mitchell family. When she was chosen, Katie was invited to Washington, D.C. to meet members of Congress, as well as the President. At this time, she remembered her grandfather telling her about the National Museum of Health and Medicine and some of its famous artifacts, including the leg bones of General Daniel E. Sickles. During her trip she was able to visit the museum with her parents and two younger brothers. Katie and her family toured the public display area with Andrea Schierkolk, the museum’s tour program manager, and Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., the museum’s director. Then the family went “behind the scenes” to see some of the artifacts in the museum’s collections that are not on display. Lenore Barbian, Ph.D., showed the Mitchell family Civil War era bones from Tennessee soldiers (their home state), a preserved lung, a preserved foot with toes mangled from wearing high heels, the skeleton of the space monkey Ham, and a skull showing syphilis. Alan Hawk, the historical collections manager, demonstrated Revolutionary War surgical instruments. Mike Rhode, the museum’s archivist, ended the tour showing documents from the Otis Historical Archives, including the Henry Faber drawing of Abraham Lincoln’s deathbed scene, diaries from the Civil War, and doctor’s prescription pads from the early 1800s. A new television show, “Transformation Nation,” is set to premiere with the story of the Mitchell family and Katie’s accomplishments. The family hosted a television crew in their Nashville home, documenting Katie’s journey and the charity she created. It began airing in April 2006 on various affiliates throughout the country, more information can be found at www.transformationnation.com. The National Museum of Health and Medicine is open every day except Dec. 25 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave. and Elder Street, NW, Washington, D.C. Tours are led by docents and are offered free to walk-in visitors at 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. More information can be found on the web site at www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum or by calling 202-782-2200. Admission and parking are free.