Our Kids

Sally, Samantha, John, Sarah, Tommy

Sally’s story: Sally is a six-year-old little girl with an intestinal disease that has afflicted her since birth. Sally seldom sleeps and loves to play. Even though she is very sick, she still craves play-time and interaction with others. Sally is too sick to be out of bed much and spends a lot of time with the television on in her room. She has two school-age brothers at home and her divorced mother works full-time in order to maintain health insurance and provide for the family. Sally’s mother is only able to visit about twice a week in the evening for about an hour at a time. Sally often asked the nurses in the PICU to play with her, sometimes even pulling on her tubes and wires to get the nurses to give her more attention. Our Josh Cares Fellow is able to spend quality time reading and playing games with Sally.

Samantha’s story: Samantha is a ten-month-old who was admitted to the PICU after she suffered a head injury in a car accident. Her mother, father and three-year-old brother were in the car as well. Mom is in another hospital’s ICU with severe injuries. Samantha’s brother is a patient elsewhere at Cincinnati Children’s. Dad has minor injuries and is trying to spend time with his wife who is struggling to live. Samantha is irritable and not sleeping well. The nurse caring for Samantha has another patient who is very sick and occupies most of her time. Our Josh Care Fellow provided many hours of comfort.

John’s story: John is a sixteen-year-old boy who has developed a severe case of pneumonia. He needs a ventilator to help him breathe, but he is awake for several hours at a time during the day. John’s father has not been a part of his life for many years, and his mother is not visiting him in the PICU. John really seems to perk up when our Josh Care Fellow comes by to play games and watch movies.

Sarah’s story: Sarah is a seventeen-year-old girl who has been in the hospital for the last seven months. She lives with her mother and 5 younger siblings. Mom is single and works full-time, so it is difficult for her to visit. As a child, Sarah was in a horrific car accident which left her paralyzed. She has since developed deep pressure sores from her wheelchair and has been at Cincinnati Children’s allowing them to heal. Every day time is spent with Sarah working on crafts, playing games or just talking. Recently Sarah had to have surgery to remove an infection from her pressure sores. After surgery she went to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit to be monitored.

Our Josh Cares Fellow said:

“When I came to see her, Sarah appeared to be sleeping, so I started talking to the nurse. When Sarah heard my voice she asked me to come over to her bed. She reached out for my hand and soon became upset and started crying. I comforted her by hugging her, stroking her hair and holding her hand. I continued this until she fell back to sleep. It was a very hard time for her and I am thankful I was able to be present and support her. She is now much better and we continue to work with her daily.”

Tommy’s story: Tommy is a 4-year-old boy who is dying from lung tumors. He has been at Cincinnati Children’s for several months and will remain at the medical center until he dies. Before entering the hospital he lived with his mother and six-year-old sister, with whom he has a very close relationship.

Our Josh Cares Fellow said:

"Since his family is not able to visit often, we try to continue their relationship by sending mail - usually drawings he has made - to his sister. We also worked with mom to have a sleepover at the hospital for Tommy and his sister. Knowing it may be one of their last overnights together, we wanted to make it extra special for both children so we created a special invitation inviting her to the "party". We put together a basket with stuffed animals, a disposable camera, movies, popcorn and other fun snacks. We created a “bed” on the floor using mats and blankets so the two of them could sleep next to each other. By having a special event like this one, we are hoping to create lasting memories that his family can cherish after Tommy is gone."