Serving others while remembering her son 

For many reasons – some happy and some heart wrenching – Susanne (Susie) Gidan feels a deep, lasting connection to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. As a professional and a parent, she has forged bonds with the hospital to keep memories alive and help others ensure a brighter future.

Gidan's first experience with Children's Hospital was as a professional. "I always was interested in medicine," she explained. She earned a master's degree in social work and joined Children's Hospital as a social worker on the "baby floor and intensive care unit." At the time, the hospital was located in downtown Milwaukee.

Later, her career took her to Missouri and then Tennessee. While in Tennessee, she worked for one of the first federally funded HIV treatment programs. In 1991, Gidan made the move back to Milwaukee to be closer to her family. In the 17 years since then, she has worked as a social worker for the Wisconsin HIV Primary Care Support Network at Children's Hospital. The program works to prevent the birth of HIV-positive infants by providing care, support and resources to women who are infected with the virus. It also supports youth and children affected by HIV.

In December 1995, Gidan became more intimately involved with Children's Hospital when her 9-year-old son, Michael (Mickey) Kovnar, was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a form of cancer.

During the next three and a half years, Mickey underwent grueling rounds of chemotherapy and major surgery. He also became the first child ever with Ewing's
sarcoma to have his own bone marrow used for transplantation.

As Mickey battled cancer, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wisconsin stepped in to give him a break. The organization fulfilled his wish for a fully finished basement retreat complete with cable television.

Inspired by his own wish coming true, Mickey became a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In 1996, he raised $3,100. He continued his fundraising efforts and even became the organization's youngest steering committee member at age 11. In 1999, while in hospice care, he raised $21,000 for children in need of wishes.

"He died knowing that he had raised enough money to pay for two wishes," said Gidan. Mickey passed away in May 1999.

Before he died, Mickey told his mother he was afraid he would be forgotten, so Gidan was determined to maintain her son's powerful legacy. After his death, she and Mickey's older sister, Sarah, assumed his fundraising efforts, and Gidan now serves
on the Make-A-Wish Foundation's board of directors.