childrens-hospital-association-81521

Behind the Scenes: Aria's Story

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 02:45:38 GMT

When running away is how you cope, how do you learn it's safe to stay?

Repeated high-risk runs, substance use, and strained communication with the cousin she was living with after the death of her mother led to 14-year-old Aria*’s enrolled in Runaway Intervention Program (RIP).

From the beginning, it was different than past therapy attempts which she would skip or struggle to communicate in. Aria was engaged when she met with her RIP nurse practitioner. Together, they worked towards harm reduction through early health education regarding substance use and decreasing the risk of Aria’s runs. This included identifying safer places Aria could go and ways she could keep in touch with RIP even when on the run.

Two months into the program, Aria ran away. Within a few days, she contacted her RIP nurse practitioner to tell her where she ones (at a friend’s house like they talked about) and discuss what it would take to feel ready to come home. This was the first time Aria had ever communicated with anyone while on a run. She learned her cousin was willing to come pick her up once she was ready to come home, and she returned much sooner than in the past.

Aria initiated her own substance use treatment shortly after this run. This likely would not have happened without the education provided during RIP visits. Her nurse practitioner had provided teaching numerous times about the physical and mental effects of substance use and treatment options available—all without forcing Aria to start anything. Aria entered and completed a residential program. During residential programing, her RIP nurse practitioner continued to work “behind the scenes” though phone calls and meetings with her guardian and community supports to make sure that Aria’s return home would be successful.

Aria has now completed 12 months of RIP services. She attends school regularly and communicates with her cousin. While she no longer does community health visits, her RIP nurse practitioner will still hear from her and her cousin occasionally. She still likes to attend the Girls Empowerment Group RIP connected her to. Thanks to Runaway Intervention Program, she now has a full schedule of safe teen activities and no known health risks.

Runaway Intervention Program is one of CHA’s Legacy Program Partners. You can ensure these services not only remain available but also have the opportunity to expand by donating today.

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) is a fundraising and resource 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, MN dedicated to supporting holistic pediatric healthcare services and programs rarely covered by insurance.

Names and some details changed to protect patient privacy.

Every Step of the Way: Jaime's Story

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 02:27:28 GMT

Midwest Children's Resource Center provides care and support not only to children but also their families.

What began as allegations unfolded to reveal a young person hurting deeply and without the coping strategies to handle the identity challenges they were grappling with. Fortunately for Jaime* and the adults who care about them, MCRC was there.

Crisis

Abuse allegations against their adoptive father brought Jaime to MCRC for the first time to complete an interview and medical evaluation, resulting in a referral for psychotherapy with an MCRC psychologist. Soon after, an encounter with a member of Jaime’s biological family at school sparked the idea for a plan that would successfully help Jaime run away and remain hidden. For several months, Jaime did not attend school. Even when their whereabouts were known, misunderstandings about parental rights delayed law enforcement intervention.

Meanwhile, MCRC supported Jaime’s adoptive family by connecting them with the health care legal partnership team, assisting them in obtaining restraining orders, and providing resources for support groups and outside agencies that could help unify support for Jaime’s return.

When Jaime was found and reenrolled at MCRC, additional abuse allegations were made against their adoptive mother. While they continued their mental health care at MCRC, Jaime also received medical support while placed in an emergency shelter until a foster placement could be located.

Care

Jaime’s treatment plan was designed to address the acute distress, significant challenges in emotional regulation, and anger they presented. The treatment plan was multipronged, focusing on stabilizing Jaime's life, processing distress while developing emotional regulation skills, and ensuring Jaime's needs were effectively communicated and supported across all settings. Therapy was initiated gradually to build a trusting therapeutic relationship, during which Jaime worked on distress tolerance skills and used long-term goals to inform safer decision-making.

A central theme that emerged during therapy was Jaime's profound loyalty to their biological family and a strong determination to live with their mother. It was observed that any restrictions on contact with the biological family resulted in heightened anger, depression, hopelessness, and recurrent thoughts of running away, making any placement other than with their mother problematic.

Collaboration

Ensuring a comprehensive, collaborative approach from Jaime’s support team, MCRC psychologists collaborated with County Social Workers and Jaime's Guardian Ad Litem to retrieve a detailed IEP history and address needs related to global developmental delay and speech-language issues. With this expanded understanding, MCRC psychologists were able coordinated efforts to prioritize clear communication, adjust psychotherapy sessions for individual needs, and enhance inter-setting collaboration to ensure Jaime's needs were addressed.

After Jaime's stay at the emergency shelter ended without a new placement, leading to discharge to a residential program, MCRC helped Jaime reenroll in services at MCRC.

With the groundwork for collaboration and coordinated support laid out, the treatment approach for Jaime involved continuous collaboration between MCRC psychologists, the county worker, and the GAL to advocate for her needs. This included educating their foster providers, ensuring their safety while supporting family connections, managing the impact of court changes on their foster placement, and securing access to medical services. Recommendations were also made to ensure continuity of care and services as Jaime transitions to adulthood, if they chose.

Healing

In individual therapy, Jaime worked on recognizing personal energy levels and needs, as well as strategies for advocating for breaks and shortening sessions to take care of those needs, enhancing personal safety, processing events of the week, and facilitating Jaime's connection with health care providers.

At the time of writing, Jaime remains with her foster care provider. They report that they like it there. Once they turn 18, they hope to move back to live with her mom. Jaime continues to work with one of our nurse practitioners to address health and wellness concerns. While there is still work to be done, the conversation has shifted from solely managing "a difficult teen with challenging behaviors" to supporting Jaime's broader goals—addressing her educational needs, supporting their safety, and improving access to medical services as they grow into adulthood.

The Midwest Children’s Resource Center (MCRC) is one of CHA’s Legacy Program Partners. You can ensure these services not only remain available but also have the opportunity to expand by donating today.

*Names and identifying details changed to protect family and patient privacy.

Keeping Families Together: How Patient/Caregiver Education Meets Families Where They Are

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 23:59:07 GMT

When the brief traditional bedside education isn't compatible with your learning needs, who advocates for your ability to care for your baby? Patient/Caregiver Education is changing healthcare culture by filling gaps and meeting individual needs.

Jo* was in the midst of recovering from drug addiction when she was preparing to give birth, struggling to get the resource she needed as a soon-to-be single mom with autism and a slight developmental delay. Living in a rural area greatly limited her options, and her social issues with her family whom she lived made it difficult for her to depend on them. Then, her baby arrived with complications. When Jo gave birth to Cole, she learned he was born with a complex heart defect and tracheomalacia requiring a tracheostomy placement. The Patient/Caregiver Educator (PCE) immediately began working closely with Jo, making sure she understood what was happening.

Within the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) at Children’s Minnesota, families from the surrounding five-state region with high-risk newborns are supported by the Patient/Caregiver Educator. Close to 30% of CVICU families have limited English proficiency and many face other barriers to traditional bedside education such as cognitive support needs, long travel distances, financial hardship, and emotional stressors.

After assessing learning needs and providing an orientation and resources, the PCE was there to make sure Jo understood every aspect and phase of Cole’s diagnosis and prognosis. The PCE provided Jo support when it was uncertain if Cole would survive his first surgery and curated resources and helped Jo make the decision about getting Cole a tracheostomy.

Cole’s tracheostomy surgery went well, but his discharge plan was unclear. His home area lacked resources to support his tracheostomy care and both staff and Jo’s family had concerns about Jo’s ability to care for Cole’s complex needs. The PCE did not give up hope that this baby boy could stay with his mother. Working closely with social work, case management, bedside nurses, doctors, and Caregiver Simulation (another CHA-funded Legacy Program), they were able to provide Jo extensive education and emotional support in preparation of discharge. Bedside nurses focus on immediate, task-based teaching tied to clinical care, whereas the PCE ensures consistent, coordinated, and comprehensive education across the entire hospitalization and into the home setting. The PCE helped change nurses pivot their perspectives from “She can’t do that,” to “She can do that; I’ll help her learn.” The PCE also made a care book entitled “About Me” to help Jo keep track of Cole’s medications and daily care needs.

One month after sending Cole home with Jo, he was brought back to the hospital due to respiratory illness. During this hospitalization, his care team noted that while Jo was providing care for Cole it seemed to be happening at the expense of caring for herself.

The PCE again was ready to assist and led collaboration with social work, case management, bedside nurses, and Jo to help find and document ways she could care and advocate for herself with her family. Cole recovered from his respiratory illness and went home with his mom who not only had the skills and resources to care for him but also to care for herself.

“The PCE is driving a culture shift within the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit by partnering with, and coaching the clinical team to deliver early, consistent, and family-centered education,” says Patient/Caregiver Educator Jaime Heil. “This model supports current evidence-based best practices and ensures every caregiver receives accurate and consistent teaching, regardless of language, learning style, or social circumstance.”

The Patient/Caregiver Education Program at Children’s Minnesota is one of CHA’s Legacy Program Partners. You can ensure these services not only remain available but also have the opportunity to expand by donating today.

*All name and identifying details changed to protect family and patient privacy.

The Confidence to Save a Life: Caregiver Simulation Project

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 23:01:32 GMT

CHA funding saves lives and created a new gold standard through Children's Minnesota's Caregiver Simulation Program. Here's how.

The Caregiver Simulation Program at Children’s Minnesota is a nationally recognized program that hopes to be “every family’s essential partner in raising healthier children.” Currently Caregiver Simulation serves patients with critical congenital heart disease being discharged on the home monitoring program, patients being discharged with a tracheostomy and chronic ventilation, and patients being sent home with an enteral tube for feeding. The program offers caregivers the invaluable opportunity to practice the skills they will need to care for their child at home and validates their ability to give their child what they need.

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) funded the creation of a caregiver simulation program for children with complex cardiac conditions and gastronomy (GT)/feeding tubes in 2020. Each year since then, CHA has funded the program’s services and growth. What began as bedside demonstrations and practice rounds expanded to include video resources from family peers, incorporation of complex skills and emergency scenarios, and programming inclusive of additional needs, equipment, and devices.

According to Caregiver Simulation Program Lead Heidi Shafland, APRN CNS, the program has reduced caregiver anxiety by 25% based on the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) tool, fewer calls regarding home monitoring care, and reports of high levels of confidence in families’ abilities to care for their infants at home.

“It’s hard to put into words the change we notice in families before and after the simulation experience,” says Shafland. “ The most common thing I hear after the simulation is, “Let us go home! I thought I knew everything I had to do, now I am sure!” The whole demeanor is changed. They walk a little taller, seem happier, and are the advocates their children need.”

Recently, the team at Children’s received the following update from a one of those families on how they benefited from Caregiver Simulation:

“Hey Melissa! This is Amber.* I thought I would reach out and thank you EXTRA for your hard work to train Paul and I on emergent situations!! I really do appreciate the extra simulation knowing in hindsight that this was what gave me confidence to save Aaron's life. Aaron had 2 cardiac arrests last week on Wednesday. He went unconscious after trying to revive him by bagging. I got him back with just that, but then EMT's arrived, and we did a trach change since we didn't feel like we were getting enough air in, and after the new trach was put in he went unconscious again and we performed CPR for about 10 more minutes. They gave 2 doses of Epi and he came back with a pulse.

Today, I am soo thankful and happy to report he is ok. No ribs broken, no fluid in the heart or chest cavity, everything went soo smoothly!!

He's at [our local hospital] and working on recovering from Rhino virus. Of course, we have learned sooo much in the short amount of time home, but I don't know what we would have done without extra training on emergency situations.

Love,

Aaron’s family”

The Caregiver Simulation Program trains more than one hundred families each year, providing them with the skills not only to survive but also to thrive. They’re planning to continue to grow to help more families, in more ways.

“The most important lesson we have learned, thanks to CHA, is providing simulation for families is the gold standard in discharge education,” says Shafland.

The Caregiver Simulation Program at Children’s Minnesota is one of CHA’s Legacy Program Partners. You can ensure these services not only remain available but also have the opportunity to expand by donating today.

*All name and identifying details changed to protect family and patient privacy.

Transforming the Emergency Department: The Benefits of Child Life

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 22:19:56 GMT

How can you transform an environment of uncertainty and stress into one of healing?

The waiting room is filled with soft whimpers and heart-wrenching cries. Some children cling to favorite toys as others lean into the parent stroking their hair. Cheeks are flushed with fevers, jaws locked in grimaces, eyes fluttering closed in exhaustion. No matter how quickly each name is called, it never feels fast enough. No matter if it’s their first trip to the pediatric emergency room or the tenth, the feelings of stress, uncertainty, and helplessness loom over each family.

The 3-year-old in Room 104 would benefit from seeing what stitches look like on a doll, Room 106 has siblings in need of an activity while they wait for a broken leg to be X-rayed, there’s a 7-year-old refusing to go in the MRI because he’s worried it’ll be too loud, extra hands in Room 107 to help soothe a five-year-old getting their first IV would be great, and a sixteen-year-old in the midst of a behavioral health crisis was just brought into Room 109.

At hospitals like Children’s Minnesota, the Emergency Department relies on Child Life services to make sure each child and every family get the support and care they need. Child Life professionals are trained to support, advocate, and educate pediatric patients and families. Collaborating with doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff members, they transform an environment of uncertainty and stress into one of empowerment and resilience.

When Leigh* had to go to the Emergency Department and wait for results, Child Life Professional Kim turned what could have been hours filled with stress and anxiety into an opportunity to create.

“Kim with Child Life was absolutely incredible,” raved Leigh’s family.

By the time Leigh returned from her ultrasound, Kim had filled her room with a plethora of arts and crafts to help her pass the time. Then, after Leigh got through her IV insertion, Kim brought her a Squishmallow to celebrate her bravery. Moments like these not only help kids process and normalize their medical experiences but also honor each child’s autonomy and milestones throughout their care.

Child Life professionals like Kim maximize support and care for children and families in the following ways:

1. Providing individually tailored psychosocial support to pediatric patients and all family members, reducing emotional burden, anxiety, and stress

2. Foster welcoming and age-appropriate atmosphere for families of all backgrounds in an environment that can be unfamiliar and intimidating

3. Sharing developmentally appropriate explanations of diagnosis, procedures, and care plan

4. Offering healthy, sustainable coping skills for use in the ED and beyond

5. Strengthening multidisciplinary collaboration for trauma-informed care

6. Championing child-friendly and family-centered practices

7. Serving as a resource and support for patients experiencing acute mental health crisis

8. Increasing resilience and supporting empowerment for pediatric patients

9. Facilitating opportunities for play and self-expression

10. Creating avenues for peer-to-peer connection and family engagement

These services provide kids and families with essential support during what can be some of the most harrowing days of their lives.

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) has been funding services like Child Life for over 90 years because we believe offering a robust network of support in the medical setting is essential to improving medical care and outcomes. For Leigh and many other kids, the services Child Life offers can turn emergency medical care into a positive experience for themselves and their families.

“[Kim] was compassionate, caring, and kind, making us feel like we were the most important family she was taking care of though we knew the ED was extremely busy,” Leigh's family recalled.

CHA is proud to be a partner in funding Child Life in the Emergency Departments at Children’s Minnesota. Seven days a week, these specialized professionals make a world of difference in the care the children and families in our communities receive. You can ensure these services not only remain available but also have the opportunity to expand by donating today.

*Name changed to protect patient privacy.

Learn More:

Why Child Life

ERIC - EJ1061926 - Resource Collaboration: The Benefits of Utilizing Child Life Specialists When Dealing with Pediatric Stress, Educational Research Quarterly, 2013-Dec

Therapeutic Play: How Child Life Specialists Help Patients | Brown University Health

Benefits of Child Life Procedural Preparation in Postoperative Long-Term Recovery of Pediatric Patients

First Steps: Supporting Teen Parents from the Start

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 19:16:55 GMT

What can support for teen parents look like?

The prospect of entering parenthood is filled with a myriad of emotions for all of us. For some, the news of a pregnancy brings immense joy while others may be overwhelmed with trepidation. Some households envision painting a mural in the nursery while others try to conceptualize how they’ll make ends meet. When the expecting parents are teenagers, their age also presents unique challenges. Teen parents are more likely to experience financial instability, interrupted education, and social stigma regarding their decision to give birth.

First Steps, a program of Midwest Children’s Resource Center, has supported young parents navigating teen parenthood and the challenges of building a healthy home environment for over 15 years. Providing critical support to both the babies and new parents is vital to ensuring these young parents and their newborns have an opportunity to thrive. First Steps offers immediate support when the baby is born and continues to be a resource throughout the first year. First Steps provides home visits to provide educational resources, baby clothes, and newborn supplies such as blankets and diapers. Teen moms are also offered additional support through phone calls, in-person visits, and social activities connecting them to peers facing similar social, parenting, and financial challenges.

First Steps team members are trained not only to provide vital support to teen mothers and their babies but also to help support the family dynamics and evolving expectations as teens enter parenthood.

In a recent instance, a care coordinator received a panicked phone call from “Leah” a few weeks after her teen daughter had brought home her baby. The baby’s father had communicated he did not want the responsibility of being a dad. When the baby was born, he was not included on the birth certificate.

In talking with Leah, First Steps learned that the baby’s father had changed his mind. He now wanted visitation rights. This is not uncommon for teen fathers, but navigating this change can be a stressful experience for all parties. The baby's father had shown up at Leah’s home asking to take the baby to his home which was two hours away. When both Leah and her daughter objected to this, he became angry and frustrated. Unsure of how to deescalate the situation, the family called First Steps. After speaking with Leah, the care coordinator was able to speak with the baby’s father via phone.

The care coordinator was able to help the baby’s father process the anxiety and anger he was experiencing, validate his concerns, and lower his stress level. Through the support of First Steps, he was able to recognize that his home was not yet equipped to welcome a six-week-old baby and that he needed to pursue his parenting and visitation rights through proper legal channels.

This was one of many cases where the knowledge and understanding of an impartial third-party helped make sure both parents’ needs were met and that the baby’s safety and well-being was prioritized. First Steps followed up on this conversation by providing both parents with a variety of low-cost resources to address their legal, parenting, and mental-health needs while keeping the best interests of their child at the forefront of their decision making.

Many people say raising a child "takes a village," to refer to the value of robust networks of support that help families and communities thrive. Teen parents need this additional support as much if not more than adult parents but haven't had the opportunity to build their own support networks yet. First Steps helps bridge that gap.

As funders and stewards of holistic care for every child and comprehensive support for every family, Children’s Hospital Association is proud to have supported First Steps for years. We know that individual health outcomes, our community well-being, and our shared future all benefit when every family receives the support they need.

Join us in providing teen parents with education, resources, and support by making a donation today.

“Angels On Earth”: The Value of Child Life Specialists

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 19:25:18 GMT

How do you get your child through the unimaginable?

Berkley was just 4 years old when she started a pattern of not feeling well and heading in and out of doctor appointments without getting answers. Her parents Duane and Kandace took the initiative to see a doctor in St. Cloud, MN who referred them to Children’s Minneapolis for further assessment.

On a Wednesday in August, Berkley was diagnosed with stage four high risk Neuroblastoma. This is a cancer that develops in infants and children, sometimes even before birth. For Berley, the cancer had already spread to her bone marrow and a large tumor was wrapped around the main valve off her heart—threatening blood flood to her kidneys and lower spine. Between young Berkley’s diagnosis and her sister Remington being only 18 months, the family knew they had a long journey ahead of them.

Soon after the initial diagnosis, Berkley was admitted with Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis to begin treatment. Because the cancer had already spread to her bone marrow, treatment began with chemotherapy. With extensive time in the hospital, Child Life helped Berkley understand scans, injections, blood counts, and more. Child Life Specialists work with patients and their family members of all ages to reduce the stress of the hospital environment, provide explanations of procedures and treatments in developmentally accessible ways, and promote emotional regulation, positive coping skills, and play throughout the hospital experience. In other words, they help kids be kids, even when in the hospital. In the words of Berkley’s parents’, they’re “angels on earth.”

“As a parent, it’s hard to ask for help, but with the Child Life staff and support, you don’t have to ask. It’s just there,” says Kandace.

By the time Berkley had completed five rounds of chemotherapy, she had a very close bond with the Child Life team and her doctors were able to inform the family the first phase of treatment had been successful. It was then time to progress treating the tumors.

Removing the tumor wrapped around her heart was a high-risk surgery. The doctors at Children’s Minnesota referred the family to a team in New York City. In New York, Berkley underwent an 11-hour surgery that successfully removed the entire tumor. While this victory was a huge milestone to celebrate, Berkley’s medical journey was far from over.

Back in Minnesota, Berkley continued to receive care from Children’s Minnesota as she and her entire family continued to receive support from Child Life. After seven years, Berkley was able to move to long-term care, a transition to yearly checkups to monitor her cancer status rather than frequent appointments, tests, and procedures.

Throughout it all, Child Life was there making sure Berkley understood every aspect of her diagnosis and treatment, providing kid-centered opportunities for connection and play, and helping the entire family navigate the difficulties of pediatric cancer.

Reflecting on Berkley’s medical journey, Duane and Kandace emphasize the support they received from Child Life was invaluable. They say the more Child Life was there, the more comfortable and relaxed Berkley would be.

"I don't know how we would have gotten through all of Berkley's treatments without the support of Child Life."

As a fundraising nonprofit dedicated to supporting holistic pediatric healthcare programs and services, Children’s Hospital Association has supported Child Life for many years.

To ensure access to Child Life is available to provide essential support to kids like Berkley and their families, donate to Children’s Hospital Association today .

“And On the Hard Days”: The Impact of Music Therapy in Pediatric Oncology & Hospice Care

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:59:15 GMT

What could a song give you?

Music is a powerful healthcare tool: it can calm a struggling newborn, provide a diversion for a toddler during an uncomfortable procedure, encourage movement for a school-age rehabilitating during an extended hospital stay, help a teen to process their feelings and emotions related to a serious illness, or provide coping mechanisms for parents and siblings. Music therapists in our Music Therapy Program work with the medical teams at Children’s to meet patient treatment goals through scientifically based therapies. Therapists use instruments, movement, and song to provide music therapy.

Whether it sparks a dance party for the entire family, provides the structure of songwriting to help express and process difficult circumstances, or provides the invaluable methods that help a child relearn and strengthen their motor and communication skills, we hear again and again from families that music therapy has changed their lives.

While it’s common to think of music therapy as a method of healing, many patients—kids and adults—have found it highly beneficial for processing the news of a terminal diagnosis and finding comfort and creativity as they receive end-of-life care. Because of funding provided by Children’s Hospital Association, “H” was one such pediatric patient who received music therapy at Children’s Minnesota.

By 15, H had spent time in a refugee camp, lost her mother, struggled with a variety of trauma and mental-health related symptoms, and had been diagnosed with a rare solid tumor. For several years, H enjoyed a variety of music therapy services and interventions. From music therapy groups to improvisation to live performances, H leaned on her connection with music as she received treatment.

Then, in 2022, H received the news. Her cancer was incurable. Loved and supported by her family beyond measure, H made the courageous decision to enter hospice care. However, like many families, H’s family couldn’t provide her adequate medical care at home. Her time in hospice care was spent at Children’s Minnesota.

Like many children (and adults) with complex trauma histories and mental health needs, identifying the best way to connect and provide support could be a challenge. Some days, she pulled the blankets over her head and refused to come out, answer any questions, or make choices. Other days, despite an inital “go away,” further conversation with a music therapist would reveal she really just wanted the music therapy to stay and be with her, especially since her family rarely could be. And then there were days where there simply could not be enough music. She would continually ask the music therapist for “just one more song” and wanted the music therapist to stay with her for hours, playing all her favorite songs while she rested, pretended to sleep, or occasionally, talked about what the lyrics meant to her or sang along.

Prior to this long admission for hospice, a music therapy intern had written a song with her in which she expressed her resilience, strength, and hope for the future. The lyrics went, in part, like this:

“And on the hard days, this is what I say

Things will get better, it will be ok.

And on the hard days, this is what I say

Never give up, it will be ok.”

Partway through her hospice admission, the music therapist printed the song on a beautiful background, framed it, and put it up on her wall. H expressed satisfaction with her song and at times, wanted the music therapist to sing it with her. Later in the admission, the music therapist recorded the sound of H’s heartbeat and layered that into her song, further symbolizing her courage and strength through this personalized musical memento.

In the late summer, H passed away, with her family surrounding her. A nurse practitioner who was there at the time of death later told the music therapist that her family had left all of H’s belongings at the hospital, except for one thing. The framed song lyrics H had written were the only personal belonging that her family took with them. This legacy item which so beautifully captured the resilience of this young woman became something that her family could always treasure and remember her by.

The hospital staff tell us this courageous young woman will never be forgotten by anyone who worked with her. We remember H every time we share the benefits of music therapy and as we work to raise funds so that hope the comfort, joy, and legacy music therapy provided for her will be available to pediatric patients for years to come.

To ensure access to music therapy for patients like H, donate to Children’s Hospital Association today .

To learn more about music therapy from American Music Therapy Association .