Pauline Robinson Bush
Pauline Robinson Bush | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 20, 1949[1] |
| Died | October 11, 1953 (aged 3)[2] |
| Cause of death | Leukemia |
| Resting place | George Bush Presidential Library, College Station, Texas |
| Parent(s) | George H. W. Bush Barbara Pierce |
| Family | Bush |
Pauline Robinson Bush (December 20, 1949 – October 11, 1953), called Robin Bush by her family, was the first daughter of former President of the United States George H. W. Bush and his wife former First Lady Barbara Bush. Robin died of leukemia at the age of 3.
First years
Robin was born December 20, 1949, in Compton, California. Her given name "Pauline" was chosen in memory of Barbara's mother Pauline, who had been killed in a car accident two months before her birth.[3] Robin was the second child of George and Barbara, with George W. Bush as her older brother.[4] Soon after she was born, the Bush family moved to Midland, Texas, when George was relocated in his job at Dresser Industries.[3]
Illness and death
Shortly after the birth of her brother Jeb Bush in 1953, Robin was diagnosed with leukemia.[3] Her parents were told that there was no available treatment, and that they should take her home. Barbara recalled the doctor, Robin's pediatrician, Dr. Dorothy Wyvell, saying, "My advice is take her home, love her. In about two weeks she’ll be gone." However, the Bushes sought treatment, which was not widely available at the time, for the disease.[2] The day after her diagnosis, the Bushes flew with Robin to New York City, where George's uncle, John M. Walker, was a doctor at Sloan Kettering hospital.[5] Barbara Bush attributed the premature graying of her hair to Robin's extended illness.[3] With blood transfusions and bone marrow tests, Robin survived seven months after her cancer diagnosis, dying two months before her fourth birthday.[2] George and Barbara allowed doctors to conduct medical research on her body before burying her in their family plot in Putnam Cemetery in Greenwich, Connecticut.[1] In 2000, after the George Bush Presidential Library was completed in College Station, Texas, Robin's body was disinterred and relocated to the burial plot on the Library grounds.[5][6]
Impact
Following Robin's death, the Bush family created a charity to raise awareness and money for leukemia research called the Bright Star Foundation. The impact of the Bright Star Foundation was acknowledged by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2004, when it opened the Robin Bush Child and Adolescent Clinic.[6] Barbara later became an honorary chairwoman of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.[7]
References
- ^ a b "Pauline Robinson "Robin" Bush". Find A Grave. Find A Grave. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c Vultaggio, Mario (April 17, 2018). "Who Was Robin Bush? What Barbara Said About Daughter Who Died From Leukemia". Newsweek. Newsweek LLC. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Kilian, Pamela (2003). Barbara Bush: Matriarch of a Dynasty. Macmillan. ISBN 0312319703.
- ^ Dube Dwilson, Stephanie (April 17, 2018). "Robin Bush, Barbara & George Bush's Daughter: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". heavy. Heavy, Inc. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ a b Hendrix, Steve (April 17, 2018). "'One last time': Barbara Bush had already faced a death more painful than her own". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ a b Villeneuve, Marina (July 26, 2013). "Bush's bald head a reminder of his own child's leukemia fight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
- ^ "Good-Bye to Robin". Amy Cunningham. Retrieved April 17, 2018.