NASCAR Opens “Speediatrics”: On Tuesday, they held the grand opening of the Betty Jane France Pediatric Center called “Speediatrics” at Homestead Hospital. The 14-bed pediatrics unit received a $600,000 renovation with a motorsports theme. It has colorful racing cartoon characters, cars, tracks and checkered flags painted on the walls. It also has miniature replica NASCAR cars in many of the rooms. France, the wife of NASCAR chairman and CEO Bill France, founded Speediatrics in 1999 when the first racing-themed pediatric center opened at the Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach. The one at Homestead Hospital is the second. Renovations began last September and were completed earlier this month. Homestead-Miami Speedway has agreed to raise $300,000 for the project. Speediatrics is designed to make children feel as comfortable as possible during a hospital stay. Officials hope the cheerful atmosphere will make a difference in the spirit and recovery of sick children. Jeff Gordon stopped at each hospital room, signing autographs, posing for pictures and leaving smiles on dozens of children’s faces Tuesday. “You see firsthand kids that are sick, kids that need good care and need a smile put on their face,” Gordon said. “You see that enough and you realize that there’s too much of that going on, and then it’s like how can you help? How can you contribute? I grew up healthy and strong and became very successful — all my dreams have come true. I want to see these kids’ dreams come true. These kids are going through an awful lot: doctors are poking and prodding on them and it’s not a lot of fun,” Gordon said. “The goal is to get them out of the hospital, so they can go back home and have fun and be normal kids. But while they’re here, it helps to be able to look at things and take their thoughts off of what’s going on with the doctors. It brings a fun atmosphere to the pediatrics center.” Gordon, helping unveil the new center because of his past work with kids through the Jeff Gordon Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, headed a tour of the facility with dozens of NASCAR officials, community leaders and journalists. Ryan Winter, 5, had no idea Gordon was stopping by his room to chat. When Gordon walked in, Winter’s eyes widened as he recognized his favorite NASCAR driver. Winter, who has had several operations to remove a tumor from his kidney and had countless radiation and chemotherapy treatments to send his bone marrow cancer into remission, had little to say to Gordon. All he did was smile as the NASCAR star gave him an autograph.(Daytona Beach News Journal)(4-24-2002)
