Their "Teddy Bear Care" Brings Smiles to Young People
William Bottiger carried his 2-year old son into the radiation oncology
department, the young boy’s face buried in his dad’s shoulder. The
little guy peered around and saw strange faces and machines. But Lori
Baycar, R.N., Roxann Frey, technical partner, Sandy Frey, R.N., Joan
Gehris, R.N., and Mary Lenahan-Durnin, R.N., of radiation oncology at
the John and Dorothy Morgan Cancer Center, Lehigh Valley
Hospital--Cedar Crest, made his experience as comforting as possible.
They treated his teddy bear with the techniques he would undergo, so he
wouldn’t be scared. They worked through lunch hours and provided toys
for him, like a stuffed elephant twice his size. When he was on the
stretcher, they made him feel like he was in a truck by making
motorized sounds. To divert his attention from medical tests, they
obtained a TV and VCR so he could watch “Sesame Street” videos. They
even turned the trash can into the Sesame Street character Oscar.
“The staff took an extraordinary interest in my son,” Bottiger says.
“They went the extra mile to ensure that the preparations, treatments
and aftermath didn’t traumatize a scared little boy.”
This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
