One of The Very Best

We are lucky to live here where we live as many others do not have access to a children’s hospital that has been ranked #5 in the entire country, and gets to be in pretty good company on that list of top 10 children’s hospitals. I say we are lucky, because we have been friends with them for a long time. Every time I visit them, whether it’s for a clinic appointment, for their surgery center or a hospital stay, believe me, we have done it all, I find the care we have received beyond amazing.

As said, our family has been unlucky enough to test a wide array of the services offered through Seattle Children’s. Not once, have we been disappointed with the care received as every single time we have been there, the staff has gone above and beyond trying to cover our needs, and providing best possible care.

Max with a child life specialist.

When my daughter Mia was 4 years old her hip started hurting. My initial response to this complaint was to give her Tylenol, and to ask her to stop whining as there was no injury. You know, I was a mom of a 4 year old, and two 2 year olds, and I had no time, nor the tolerance for such nonsense. Less than 12 hours later, we were at the hospital waiting to get our daughter back from surgery. What I believed to be nonsense, had turned into a bacterial infection in her hip, and a several days long hospital stay. So, there I was in my pajamas, with no clothes, no toothbrush and no nothing, as I had left our home in the middle of the night, thinking I would be back home by the morning. I looked like crap and wished I could at least brush my teeth, whilst trying to not breath on anyone I was speaking with. Then came the cart, the parent care cart offering coffee, snacks, deodorant, toothbrushes etc. The friendly face offering me all these things for free, as I could not leave my daughters bedside when she was drifting in and out of consciousness, and was only 4 years old.

The cart of happiness!

My second big memory from there was from their Autism Center, a clinic diagnosing children on the Autism Spectrum, and offering them services. The same little girl needed to go potty, but unlike our potty at home, the rings in their bathroom were black, and my child was unable to sit on such dirty rings. I thought I would have to walk her to Starbucks, or maybe the mall across the road, but instead the behaviorist offered to let us into the staff bathroom, that had one newer potty - with a white ring. Seems like such a small thing, but it meant the world to me.

On Christmas, the emergency room staff was wearing Santa hats, making the small patients smile through their pain and suffering. What a disaster for a kid to end up in the ER on Christmas. That time we were there for a broken leg, as two boys blowing off their Christmas steam with a 5 month old puppy, had proven to be a painfully bad idea. I was in tears, when they took us upstairs to our room – yes, we had to stay – and the nurse had made a bed for me too. To me that was the sweetest gesture.

She made a bed for me too!

On Wednesday, I found myself at Seattle Children’s once again. I was emptying my calendar in the middle of the night, as my daughter was suffering from that allergic reaction I wrote about earlier, that against all odds, ended up being way more serious than expected. My child was cared for by four wonderful doctors, and an amazing nurse, as the cardiac monitor kept beeping in the otherwise silent room, with her heart refusing to work quite right.

We have never needed long term care, but my children have had 4 surgeries, 3 broken bones and countless clinic visits with their hematology, orthopedic, urology, autism and GI clinics. They have all been equally amazing, and when one of our surgeons was jumping on the floor pretending to be a frog with my son, I have to say, I was quite impressed. Later I found out, that Dr Burns had received five stars from all of his patients families.

Not all kids go to the hospital. Actually, Mia was quite surprised when I told her that there are plenty of grownups that have not been to a hospital since they have been born. She had a hard time believing me.

So, we are very lucky. We are lucky to have such an awesome place to care for those in need. We are lucky to have a place that does not only offer medical excellence but also humanity, a place that really cares for the entire family. 

One happy boy in his cast.