What This Story Is About
- Lily Hensiek is returning to the same children’s hospital where she was treated for leukemia as a child to complete physician assistant training, illustrating the impact of Dolly Parton’s philanthropy on pediatric cancer care at Vanderbilt.
Why It Matters
- Charitable giving to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt — or any children’s hospital around the world — can create a lasting cycle of hope, turning today’s young patients into tomorrow’s healthcare providers who will care for the next generation of sick children.
- Hensiek will graduate from her physician assistant program in May 2027 and is considering specializing in pediatric oncology to help future patients facing similar diagnoses. Henseik’s family non-profit foundation, Lily’s Garden, continues to raise funds for research and a doctor-in-training program at Monroe Carell.
For Context
- Dolly Parton and her Dollywood Foundation continues to raise money for the childhood cancer program at Vanderbilt, disaster relief in Tennessee, and educational programs such as her flagship Imagination Library, offering free books to children in 22 states and 5 countries, including braille and bilingual books.
NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – Lily Hensiek was seven years old when she first heard the word cancer. Now 24, she is preparing to return to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt this February — not as a patient, but as a physician assistant student completing her clinical rotations.
Hensiek’s journey from patient to future healthcare provider represents the lasting impact of Dolly Parton’s philanthropy at the pediatric hospital, particularly as the country music icon celebrates her 80th birthday.
“My kids, neither one of them had ever even heard of cancer when my daughter was diagnosed,” said Larissa Featherstone, mother of three and current advisory board chair at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. “So Lily was seven at the time, and Sophie was five. The worst they had ever had was strep throat or an ear infection.”…