Child Life team brings play, wonder to hospitalized kids

Coming face to face with an alligator that may one day measure 10 feet long and weigh 1,000 pounds is enough to capture almost any kid's attention. For the children in the atrium of the Medical University of South Carolina's Children's Hospital, it was just the latest in a series of fun, creative activities cooked up by the Child Life team. 

The 13 Child Life specialists who work there, the only ones in the Tri-county area, are specially trained to help children and families cope with health care experiences that might otherwise be overwhelming. 

Child Life Director Betsy McMillan put it this way: “Play is magical, natural and safe to children. It is not merely ‘fun’ or a distraction. During medical experiences, which may be confusing, scary or unfamiliar, play is a spontaneous way for children and adolescents to take control again.”Shawn Nichols is 5 years old and full of energy, not to mention thoroughly intrigued by this American alligator. His grandmother, Thomasina Stackhouse, said Shawn was diagnosed with cancer in January. 

“He was ready to get here to the atrium. I knew the animals would be here, so I wanted to get him exposed to the animals. He sees them on TV and in the books, but real life is a different thing. This room is an asset. It takes their mind off of what they’re going through. They can be kids.”The value of play was clear from the reactions of these children to a visit from the Barrier Island Outreach team, which brought an American alligator, a rat snake, an Eastern box turtle, a green tree frog and a scarlet king snake. The kids’ happiness and curiosity were written all over their faces.

Analise Goddard has had to miss a week of kindergarten while she recovers from a ruptured appendix. But as her mother Christine Goddard noted, Analise is still learning in MUSC Children’s Hospital thanks to the sometimes slithery visitors she met through the Child Life program. “She was really excited about this,” Goddard said. “She loves animals and reptiles.”

Ethan Leigh’s dad and mom were thrilled to see him smile as he looked at a container holding a small green tree frog. Ethan has acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, which his mother Kerry Leigh said causes his immune system to attack the nerves in his brain. “You have to be grateful for the small wins,” she said. “Like every time he smiles and plays.” 

To learn more about the MUSC Children’s Hospital’s Child Life program, visit Child Life Services.