As one of 27 certified child specialists employed by Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn and its sister hospital in Park Ridge, Annie Myren employs a variety of creative strategies to help children with serious illnesses cope with treatments and testing.
For “Child Life Month” last March, Myren and others organized a weeklong celebration that included a Teddy Bear Clinic.
“We set up teddy bears at different medical stations,” Myren said. The idea was for kids to see a toy bear getting an IV, or an X-ray, or having their temperature taken, much as they would.
“We’re here to help kids understand what’s going to happen, what they can expect, to help make procedures a lot less scary,” Myren said. “We also support the whole family — parents and siblings.”
Of course, the kids got to keep the bears.
Beyond helping children experience joy and feel more at ease, Advocate’s child life specialists help them handle medical procedures that sometimes come with a dose of discomfort.
These can include blood draws, MRIs, X-rays, health monitoring and the application of peripherally inserted central catheters used for administering intravenous fluids, blood transfusions, chemotherapy and other medicines.
On any given day, Myren and other child life specialists encourage kids undergoing these procedures to blow bubbles, read I-Spy books, play with iPads, employ deep breathing, or simply engage in conversation with loved ones.
Recently the hospital acquired another form of distraction that for some kids seems to trump all others — a virtual reality system created by KindVR.
“It’s popular. Kids get excited for it and ask for it,” Myren said. “I feel like it’s an activity that definitely connects with certain kids.”
For one fourth grader who recently finished chemotherapy treatments, KindVR was a game changer.
“When I had the VR on it really helped,” said Emiliano Covarrubias, of Chicago’s West Beverly neighborhood. “It felt relaxing. I felt like I wasn’t here.”
Which means a lot, because instead of squirming uncomfortably during dressing changes needed for his central venous catheter, Emiliano was able to sit still, and all the unpleasant business was over before he knew it.
“It definitely makes this a more positive experience,” Myren said.
On a recent checkup visit, Emiliano was more than happy to demonstrate KindVR, popping on one of the headsets and taking up one of the controls.
The device offers three virtual programs — one with a safari theme, one offering an aqua experience, and another supportive of meditation. KindVR can also simulate what it’s like to undergo an MRI.
Emiliano chose the aqua experience. With his parents and Myren nearby, he sat quietly in an examining chair. As they made small talk, he entered an undersea world inhabited by a variety of sea creatures swimming among ancient ruins.
Clicking the buttons on the KindVR controller and aiming it upward, downward, diagonally and side to side, Emiliano sent streams of colorful bubbles toward clown fish, cuttlefish, stingrays and dolphins, turning them brilliant neon colors—yellow, gold, green, turquoise, purple and red.
Seals and several species of whale kept their natural colors when sprayed by the bubbles but still seemed to light up.
The soft trumpeting calls of the Orcas caused Emiliano to smile. So did the appearance of one creature that seemed a bit more engaging than the rest, Happy the Seal.
This all happened thanks to a $57,000 contribution from Constellation Energy Corporation in Braceville, southwest of Joliet.
The company holds an annual Fishing for a Cure fundraiser tournament at Braidwood Lake. Longtime tournament volunteer and Braidwood generating station employee Chris Boblak understood the event’s positive impact on charities and nominated Advocate Children’s Hospital as a beneficiary of 2022 proceeds.
Boblak’s own son Dominic was admitted to the hospital in 2020. While there, he benefited from the hospital’s Creative Arts Therapies program which provided games, art projects and even magic shows for him and other patients.
With Constellation’s donation, Advocate Children’s Hospital opted to add a tech-oriented approach for connecting with patients. Five KindVR headsets were made available to children being treated at the hospital’s Oak Lawn and Park Ridge locations.
The devices can be adjusted to suit patients whether they are sitting upright or lying down. They can also be sanitized and fitted with fresh face pads between uses.
Emiliano, like many other children, enjoys technology and video games. At home, he plays Fortnite and Minecraft with his dad, Xavier Covarrubias, who works for a technology firm that develops technological solutions for businesses. He seemed pleased to witness how KindVR helped his son.
“I thought it was pretty neat,” he said. “It’s a form of technology that’s really helping kids with their hospital experiences.”
More than 70 hospitals use KindVR therapy routinely with their patients, according to the company’s website.
Even so, the child life specialists are still likely to retain certain low-tech approaches for connecting with patients such as playing card games.
“Emiliano plays a mean game of Uno,” Myren said.
“I’m just really glad we came here,” said Emiliano’s mother Maricela Suarez. “Everyone has been so helpful and welcoming. The level of engagement has been topnotch.”
Susan DeGrane is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
