For children facing serious health challenges, a trip to the hospital can be a daunting experience. But a special collaboration is working to change that narrative, one furry friend at a time.
A Heartfelt Ceremony Eases Hospital Fears
This week, the Starlight Express Room at Perth Children's Hospital was transformed into a workshop of joy. Volunteers from Build-A-Bear visited the facility to host their unique 'heart ceremonies' for young patients. This interactive workshop allows children to literally bring a new teddy bear to life by choosing and placing a heart inside it.
The initiative, run in partnership with the Starlight Foundation, aims to create positive associations with the hospital environment. For six-year-old Bonnie Hill, the experience provided a much-needed distraction from her regular medical appointments.
Bonnie's Story: A Beacon of Hope
Bonnie's life has been filled with hospital visits since she was just four years old, when she was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma ganglioneuroma. This is a large, benign tumour that was located in her stomach.
Her ongoing care involves frequent trips to the oncology ward for blood tests and scans to ensure the tumour has not grown back. She also has appointments at the renal ward, as the surgery to remove the tumour resulted in kidney damage.
Her mother, Lauren Hill, shared how the Build-A-Bear workshop shifted her daughter's focus. "When she was getting her ultrasound done, she was asking when she can make her bear," Ms Hill said. "It took her mind off the appointment and now she will leave the hospital in a really good mood."
She added that because of programs like this, run by the Starlight team, Bonnie has never associated the hospital solely with negative experiences.
Transforming the Hospital Experience Nationally
Katie O'Halloran, an experience producer for the Starlight Foundation, explained that these workshops were held in children's hospitals across Australia on Tuesday. She emphasised the profound impact such activities can have.
"Hospital is a pretty scary place and it's not always associated with good memories," Ms O'Halloran stated. "Our goal running things like this with Build-A-Bear is to really transform the hospital experience. It means that coming to hospital ends up being a little bit less scary because last time they came they got to make a Build-A-Bear and that was really exciting."
The program successfully provided not just a toy, but a cherished companion and a happy memory for children like Bonnie and nine-year-old Hudson Keith Gill, helping to brighten their difficult healthcare journeys.
