Up Close & Personal

Pediatric Patients Get a Prom of Their Own

Dozens of current and former St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital patients dressed up in shiny gowns and fancy suits, many donated by hospital employees, to take part in their own prom night at the hospital Friday, May 6, 2011. Like all proms, the special evening included a mix of music, dancing, refreshments, photos and memories to last a lifetime.

Children with chronic or life-threatening conditions sometimes miss or have to delay traditional childhood rituals, such as playing team sports, slumber parties, learning to drive, and participating in school dances. The Child Life team at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital organizes special events, like the prom, in an effort to provide patients a chance to have experiences that they might not otherwise, due to treatment and hospitalization. And, because no child should have to miss prom due to an illness or injury, the event was not limited to high school age patients.

“For some seriously ill pediatric patients, attending this special hospital prom may be a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Leah Frohnerath, Child Life Supervisor at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. “We think it’s a night that every child should have, no matter how sick, which is why we gave them a chance to go to prom now.”

Florida Bicycle Association Recognizes St. Joseph’s Children’s Advocate

In March, St. Joseph’s Children’s Advocate Bevin Maynard was named Professional of the Year by the Florida Bicycle Association. As an active participant in Florida’s Safe Routes to School Program, Bevin provides hands-on education to more than 12,000 students a year through bicycle rodeos. She also teaches bicycle safety classes and provides safe riding tips to the community through media stories.

Patients Reverse Roles with Caregivers

During a special event March 29, 2011, doctors handed over their white coats and stethoscopes to a group of very special caregivers—hospitalized kids.

Becoming “Doctors for a Day,” pediatric patients switched roles with their caregivers as they treated pretend illnesses and broken bones. The young doctors were even given the opportunity to give “shots” with needle-less syringes.

“We want our patients to feel comfortable while staying at our hospital,” said St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Child Life Supervisor Leah Frohnerath. “By allowing patients to play the part of the doctor, they may be less anxious about the procedures that will be performed on them at the hospital.”

SJCH Hosts 6th Annual Heart-To-Heart Reunion

For some it’s been months. For others it’s been years. But all pediatric heart surgery patients at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital share one common bond, the gift of life that offers the chance of making their dreams come true.

Young patients and their families came together as one group April 9, 2011, to reunite and fellowship with other pediatric heart surgery families during the Sixth Annual Heart-to-Heart Reunion.

Delaney Evans from Orlando, who was just 2 months old when she underwent surgery at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital to repair a congenital heart defect, attended the event with her twin sister Alana and parents Russell and Jennifer Evans. The girls just turned 2, a day their parents once feared might not happen for Delaney. “Without the care we received from St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, our lives would be drastically different than they are today,” said Jennifer Evans.

The Rough Riders and Tampa Bay Lightning team mascot ThunderBug attended the event, as well as physicians and nurses who make every day possible for the boys and girls who undergo the complex, delicate and lifesaving heart procedures performed routinely at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital.