September 2023
Dear friend, What’s your greatest fear? Is it sitting in the dark? Public speaking or creepy crawly spiders? When I was little it was the monster under my bed. Maybe for you, it’s something else. For 8-year-old Aila, fear was everything inside Blank Children’s Hospital. Even something as little as a band-aid was scary. As a young toddler and being diagnosed with High-Risk B-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, you can imagine how frightening it was to be poked, prodded and squeezed too many times to count. Thankfully, you can be there to reassure Aila in the scariest of times. With your gift to Child Life at Blank Children’s Hospital, you bring comfort, laughter, distraction and explanations to children undergoing treatment. Your support makes a big difference. “The doctors, nurses and Child Life team made us feel like we were all family,” says Amy, Aila’s mom. “We became close with Aila’s care team, which made everything feel less daunting every time we came to Blank Children’s.” Child Life took the time to get to know Aila and what her favorite things were. During every chemotherapy appointment and inpatient stay, Child Life, along with her nurses and doctors, painted her nails, created crafts and even broke out into dance parties. Sometimes, Aila would have a dollhouse delivered to her room to play dolls or princesses. “It was the collective little moments – from toys to random acts of kindness – that worked together to give Aila a great experience and helped her through the darkest of days,” says Amy.
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