Williams 1
Sara Williams
Ms. Williams
English I Pre-AP – 3
18 March 2013
Yo-Yos and Ventilators
The twin bed seemed to swallow him up, the little infant boy covered in tubes and surrounded by blinking, beeping monitors. This little guy should be taking his first steps or saying his first word, but instead he is confined to a small, sterile room with few opportunities for normalcy. Delivering coloring books, princess wands, and Dollar Store yo-yos doesn’t seem like much, but for children who have spent more of their lives in hospitals than their own homes, this little surprise can bring happiness to an ordinarily difficult situation. Mrs. Ryan, Miss Pennington, and I went down to the P.I.C.U. at Texas Children’s Hospital to deliver Easter baskets to the children in the ward, and we were really blessed by our experience.
We came up with this idea because Miss Pennington’s sister Allison is a registered nurse at Texas Children’s. We thought it would be a great idea to use the connections we already had to find a way we could volunteer that would really make a difference. Though volunteers are not always allowed around these very sick children in the intensive care unit, Allison was able to escort us into the P.I.C.U. (with the help of a spy-like swipe card). Walking through doors that are labeled “Authorized Personnel Only” can be a bit nerve racking, but Allison was able to introduce us to some of the nurses and doctors and make us feel at ease in what can be a very intimidating environment.
Our first stop was the “nourishment room”, a locker/break room for doctors and nurses who need a few moments of downtime during long, emotionally draining shifts. We basically exploded all over the room with Easter grass, crayons, and plastic pastel buckets. We chose to stuff the Easter baskets there on the spot so that all of the goodies would be easier to transport down the long hospital corridors. After filling over 30 baskets, we loaded them up on a rolling cart and took them to the nurse’s station. We were unable to go into the actual patient rooms because their little immune systems are so low, but the nurses promised to deliver all the baskets to each child on the floor and even began handing them out before we left. We also dropped off a huge basket of candy at the nurse’s station. These men and women work so hard and see a lot of tragedy throughout their day. Some Reese’s Cups and Hershey bars don’t seem like enough to thank them for their dedication to these kids, but they were so grateful for the little sugar rush. Our final stop was the P.I.C.U. waiting room. We were able to give away a few extra baskets that we had left over to two adorable preschool girls who were waiting with their families in the lobby area. We don’t know their stories or why these little girls were at the hospital on Sunday, March 17th, but we can only hope that the little love they got was able to help pass the time and show them that someone was thinking about them.
Although it was difficult to see those precious babies in medical induced comas or with breathing tubes down their throats, I am so glad that I had this opportunity to go downtown and serve. This experience was a great reminder that we need to be thankful for the healthy loved ones that we have in our lives and for our own health as well. Nothing is guaranteed and we need to be grateful that we are able to breathe fresh air, enjoy the sunshine, or simply take a step without medical assistance. I hope to go back and volunteer at the hospital again. Every time I have the chance to help others, the experience always leaves a little impression on my heart. This time was no different. That’s the beautiful thing about serving those around you; though we do it with no expectation of anything in return, it’s practically impossible to not be changed when you open up your heart to the people around you.