Child life therapy and giving back

Today was the first day of the kid’s spring break. It was also a perfect day for their child life specialist from CHOP’s PACT team to visit.

Did you know that March is child life specialist month? These positions are fully funded by donations. They are incredibly important to the emotional well being of patients and their families.
When we returned from Boston from our second opinion, our social worker asked what we needed. I told her I needed help. Help in preparing Chase and Ella for the inevitable. We were so lucky to have been blessed with Kelly. She’s been with us since Nov 2014.

Kelly’s connection with the kids was immediate. She provides these gooey, messy activities for the kids and in turn they delight in the escape. These activities have fun built in, but they are also therapy for the kids. Some directly address feelings and emotions and the right and wrong ways of expression whether it’s through the use of a piñatas, polaroids or silly string. We even joked that the kids were playing with slime long before it was the “in” thing to do.

We are so grateful for her and the role she’s played in our journey. She is always there when the kids need her the most…from hosting a feelings activity in Chase’s classroom after Shane passed to stopping by to pick up toy donations.

Her position is invaluable to so many families. Bereavement is a tricky topic and it affects everyone differently. I can honestly say, that I feel confident in my children’s coping skills all thanks to her and the work she does. I appreciate the open talk relationship we have with our children about their feelings and emotions when it comes to their grief and their brother.

Thank you isn’t enough. This is why Shane’s Future Days gives back to the PACT team’s psych/social team.

Today, we proudly presented Kelly with a Macbook Pro and software to assist her in creating memories for other families. We are forever grateful for all the keepsakes, videos and photo collages she has created for us. They are treasures to us.

It’s important that other families get to create their own.

Thank you Kelly for all you do for so many. You are truly an incredible person and we are so lucky to have you on this journey!

*I think the colorful hands tell you just how successful today’s project was!

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