Shari Parker
"I believe a child's best advocate is their parent. I would like to be a part of making Cincinnati Children's the most parent-friendly hospital in the country." -- Shari Parker
Shari Parker
Family Advisory Council member Shari Parker.
Shari Parker, a registered nurse, became a Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Family Advisory Council member during April 2004. Shari and her husband Mark are parents of two children, Amber and Aaron.
"I have had several different experiences with Cincinnati Children's," Shari said. "My daughter Amber had her appendix out when she was 3 years old. She also visited the emergency room for a broken arm," Shari said.
"Our most recent experience has been with the Headache Clinic," Shari explained. "Amber became a patient of Dr. Andrew Hershey when she was 10 years old. She was diagnosed with migraine headeaches.
"Amber's migraines evolved into a chronic daily headache, which lasted for about one year. There wasn't a day she was free from her headache," Shari said. "Amber is still a patient of the Headache Clinic, though she has shown much improvement over the last year.
"I hope, with my background in nursing and my experience with the hospital as a parent of a migraine patient I can contribute to meeting the goals of the Family Advisory Council," Shari said.
"I would like to share with other families our experience with the Headache Clinic. Dr. Hershey and Amber's nurse practitioner, Susan LeCattes, helped us through a very difficult time in our lives," Shari said.
"I would like to give back what has been given to us," Shari said. "I believe a child's best advocate is their parent. I would like to be a part of making Cincinnati Children's the most parent-friendly hospital in the country."
An active member of the Family Advisory Council, Shari participates in the Family Faculty Program and is a member of the Tobacco-Free Initiative Subcommittee.
