Can a Toy Really Make a Difference in the Hospital?
There’s no denying that toys in the hospital can bring sick or injured children happiness, comfort in an unfamiliar place, and distraction from intimidating procedures. It’s one of the reasons the clinical staff at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth tries to provide each pediatric patient in need with a stuffed animal or toy.
Kids enter the hospital’s pediatric center for a variety of reasons—respiratory illness, broken bones, surgery, etc. Often they go home the same day, but sometimes they stay for weeks. Receiving a stuffed animal is shown to positively impact the healing process from the very beginning. Stuffed animals help healthcare workers build trust with young patients, reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety and can even accelerate the healing process.
Parents and community members often feel helpless in the face of pediatric illness or injury. While medical outcomes rest in the hands of our capable doctors, there’s a lot we can do to help our community’s smallest patients. Donating a single toy, for example, can help make a child’s hospital stay brighter and less frightening.
Recently, Donna DeRon of Groves, Texas chose to make a difference in the lives of local children by donating about one hundred stuffed animals and beanie babies to Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals in Southeast Texas. Her donation will help children visiting St. Elizabeth feel more comfortable and less stressed in an unfamiliar environment. Local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals like St. Elizabeth rely on community donations to continue to provide this comfort to our pediatric patients.