Special team at Norton Children's Hospital focused on giving the gift of life
Caring for sick and dying children is a tough and heartbreaking job.
One special group at is focused on helping these children and their families.
"She's missing the left side of her heart," Kindra Edwards, patient mother, said.
Edwards' daughter, Ashlynn, was born with a life-threatening heart condition.
"She went in for her first surgery at 3 days old," Edwards said.
Ashlynn has been placed on the heart transplant list, but throughout the difficult days and nerve-racking nights, Edwards said there was one consistent source of strength and encouragement the .
"They're always there. You know, coming in, checking on us when in our multiple stays at the hospital," Edwards said.
The team is made up of pediatric and palliative care specialists, nurses, social services, therapist and even pastoral care.
They are all focused on helping families through life-altering or life-threatening conditions.
"Our job is to be with them and to support them in the best way that we can," registered nurse Stephanie Cline, , said.
Cline has been a staple of the Support Team from the beginning.
"It was in 2006, it was actually started by Dr. Hagen," Cline said.
Nearly two decades later, pediatric palliative care has evolved.
At Norton Children's Hospital it has grown into a team of almost a dozen people, specializing in not just treating, but caring for the sickest patients and their families.
"Some of these families are going through the worst time of their life, and for them to put trust into you, and trust that you will do the best for them is what's very important to me," Cline said.
Leading the is medical director Dr. Natalie Henderson.
"We see all the families who have oncologic problems, all of our cardiac patients, specifically our congenital heart surgery patients, transplant patients. We follow all of those families from diagnosis until they no longer need our services. Any given day, we see 40 to 60 patients on our census, and we work to build a relationship with those families," Henderson said.
Whether that is holding a patient's hand in a hospital bed, or calling in a favor and dancing a diagnosis away, it is not just about treating the physical needs.
"A lot of times it's the emotional aspects of the psychosocial or the spiritual aspects that are actually more important, and we get the unique ability to actually go in and spend a ton of time so that when we come out of that room, we can say, this is what's most important to the family, this is what they value," said Dr. Dustin Dillon, Norton Children's Pediatric Support Team.
Dillon said palliative care is not just a profession, it is a calling.
One he and everyone on the Support Team believe is an honor.
"A lot of times there's not something to change or fix, but being present and sitting with suffering is something that, I know that that is one a blessing to me to be able to help these families, but truly it's an honor and a privilege I get to sit with families, and I would say the worst moment of their life, and I hope that myself and our team were able to do that with empathy to make sure that they feel heard and supported," Dillon said.
The support team services also extend to hospital staff.
The team is supported in part by donations.
Click to learn more about Norton Children's Pediatric Support Team.