Surgery Thoughts

When this edition of the newsletter finds your inboxes, I’ll be under the knife. I’m not overly nervous, but I have very little of what will happen during the procedure. Sure, it was (rapidly) explained to me, but quite a bit of unknown remains.

Now imagine that you’re four and not forty. Your doctor has told you that they will port into your body so you can start chemo. What will that look like? How does it work? Will it be a large scary thing? Will your sibling be scared when they see it.

Thankfully, CMN hospitals have programs to help prepare kids for these procedures. They’ll make ”buddy dolls” that kids can decorate. CMN staff uses a combination of these dolls and 3D printed “toy” ports to demonstrate what they will look like on their buddy, how they are used, and allow the kids to help their buddy adjust before they ever go under the knife themselves.

Now, armed with this knowledge, fear subsides. They will soon match their buddy and focus on other fun things like music therapy or watching CMN programming that other patients their age participate in. Or perhaps they join a private Minecraft server with kids from all around the nation at various CMN hospitals.

None of this is covered by insurance. I can only imagine how that phone call would go and how long the laughter would last on the other end of the line.

These are the kinds of programs funded by CMN donations. Researching and treatment are only part of changing kids’ health. CMN hospitals always keep a focus on allowing kids to be kids in any way possible. They also recognize that they have just had one of the worst things possible happen to them to land into in-patient care. Handling the fear, anger, and sadness is all part of treating the whole child, not just their medical chart.

These are the things that I will keep in mind as I recover. I look forward to getting back to streaming to help these efforts, ending the year stronger than ever.

Please join me in this fight and journey and help me change kids’ health.