Where Sick Kids Show Healthy Spirits

At the recent MacWorld convention in San Francisco, it was hard to get past the gossip, infighting and rumormongering (all of which, of course, I eagerly participated in).

But far from the hoopla, on a single computer at one end of the Moscone Convention Center, a new Internet site was making its debut. At this booth, there were none of the flashing lights, giant video screens or over-caffeinated announcers common to computer shows. And yet, at this quiet outpost, you could get a reminder of why the digital revolution is at times truly enlightening and wondrous.

The site, sponsored by Apple Computer, is Convomania, designed to be a gathering place for disabled and seriously ill children.

“Being sick can be boring!!! I don’t like being in the hospital, because I am too far away from my brother, sister and friends! I hate the IVs, they hurt and are a pain. The food needs more spices!!!” This entry, by a kid named Alexis, was to a message board titled, “Being Sick Sucks!”

“Order some garlic!!!” Alexis exclaims.

Anyone who has spent time in a hospital can appreciate her comments, but in the spirit of this message board, Alexis doesn’t use the opportunity to be whiny or petulant.

Sam, who spent a lot of time in the hospital when he had a transplant, takes a quieter route to the heart.

“It was hard to be sick when I was sick, if you know what I mean. The hardest part for me was when my friends died. I stayed with a lot of them when they died, and I’m glad because I knew they wanted me there. Sometimes, I feel bad cause I have done so well, but I know they wouldn’t want me to feel that way.”

Alexis and Sam are among the very few so far to post messages to Convomania. But they indicate that Apple’s Worldwide Disability Solutions Group, which created the site, is on the right track.

Another message board concerning “Hospital Food” also got entrees from Alexis and Sam. “I must say the liquid trays are the worst!” said Alexis, who then added, “Well, I have to admit hospital food is better than the school lunch!”

If Alexis is the Bette Midler of Convomania, Sam is its Will Rogers.

Sam wrote: “Hospital food must have been OK cause my mom, who was pregnant when I had my transplant, ate all mine! I had IV lipids and nutrition, and pretended it was whatever I wanted it to be.

“The one time I cheated and ate real food, I had a cashew. It cut my mouth up so bad I had to have 6 platelet transfusions before the bleeding stopped. I couldn’t taste it, but it sure was nice to chew!”

Convomania, which can be reached at https://www.mania.apple.com, is an example of what the World Wide Web does best. It bespeaks community, and it allows even those of us who are outsiders rare insights into the lives of people far away.

“I met my donor, Barry, and his family,” Sam wrote. “I love Barry and I feel like I have known him all my life. Sometimes when me and my mom talk about him, her eyes water.”

The vast majority of us who come upon Convomania will never meet Sam in person. But we have no trouble understanding his mother’s sentiments.

* Cyburbia’s e-mail address is [email protected].