A True Buddy

How one small pup motivated one little girl during her hospital stay – thanks to you!

It was a Thursday. Brent Hamilton was making his weekly visit at Children’s of Alabama with his therapy dog Buddy when he was stopped by a mother holding her child. The 12-month-old had undergone heart surgery just two days ago and was in the midst of recovery. A nurse helped the mother and child sit on the floor and visit with Buddy.

The little girl was sitting in her mother’s lap when she suddenly stood up to get closer to Buddy. This was the very first time since her surgery that the child had stood up on her own! After some pets and cuddles, Brent and Buddy walked alongside the little girl to her hospital room with the help of a nurse and occupational therapist. This was a HUGE step in the little girl’s progress and the mother was very appreciative that Buddy was there to help motivate and comfort her child.

This little girls stood up for the first time after surgery because of you!

Amazing mission moments like these are happening every week at Children’s of Alabama thanks to you. Your donations support our 25-year-long partnership with the hospital by helping recruit and train Therapy Teams to brighten the days of children and parents going through difficult times.

Melissa Johnson, Child Life Specialist for the Special Care Unit sees the impact of your support first-hand;

One of my personal favorite things to witness is watching the heart rate of an anxious or agitated patient lower while petting the Hand in Paw dog. We are so thankful to be able to utilize Hand in Paw to promote coping during hospitalization.

Mary Haddow, Child Life Specialist for Dearth Tower also notes,

Hand in Paw not only brightens our patients’ days, but also our staff’s! The dogs can tell what each patient and family needs, and they provide a calming presence during a time in a family’s life that is stressful.

Because of you, 7 Therapy Teams are currently visiting across 12 units at Children’s of Alabama! We are so grateful to our donors and volunteers who make it possible to provide moments of peace and healing to people who need it most.

Help Hand in Paw train more Therapy Teams to visit at Children’s of Alabama by donating using the envelope provided or visit handinpaw.org/donate.