Busting Boredom, Boosting Mood: Bella’s Ghostbusters Fun
To Jessica’s dismay, Bella started getting chills, felt flushed and fatigued. Bella had another fever.
Jessica was alarmed. While for most kids a fever indicates a common cold, for Bella it could mean something much more severe. Bella was born with closed circuit gastroschisis, meaning that part of her small intestine was outside of her body. As a result, she is living with a PICC line in her arm and receives most of her nutrition through an IV bag every day.
A fever could mean Bella has a line infection, and if so, it could quickly escalate into something much worse. She could get sepsis, a life-threatening condition in which the body’s response to an infection is damaging its own tissues and organs.
Bella and Jessica rushed to the hospital. Bella did indeed have a line infection, requiring her to be admitted to the hospital. Plans disrupted, they missed their family trip to Mexico.
For the next few days, Bella and her mom sat in the stillness of her room, so quiet that you could hear the hum from the hospital walls. Bella did what she could to distract herself from stomach and arm pain – building LEGO, filling out sticker books and making bottles of sand art to gift to her nurses. “It helps distract me a little, so it doesn't get too painful,” Bella said.
She was bored. She was uncomfortable. She missed her family. She wanted to go home.
A Special Question
Still, the hospital stay went on. But the following Tuesday, a special question changed the trajectory of her day. A Child Life Specialist came into her room and asked, “Do you want to go to the playroom? There’s a Ghostbusters event going on.”
Bella’s eyes lit up – she loves the Ghostbusters! “Yes, of course!” she beamed. Slipping on her Hello Kitty Crocs, she and her mom rolled her IV pole to the playroom.
As she entered, Bella was met by the Ghostbusters, proton packs strapped on their backs, Ecto-wands in hand. Bella got to share her story with the Ghostbusters. "It was so fun to talk about me, and then they gave me these gifts,” she said, pointing to her Starlight Toy Deliveries - Slimer and Marshmallow man keychains – her favorite characters!
A Boost of Confidence and Comfort
Bella was also gifted a Starlight Hospital Gown. She instantly loved it! Its Ghostbusters design of a flight suit with slime brightened Bella’s mood, too. “It’s going to boost my mood because even though it's a hospital gown, it’s just way funner,” Bella said.
She also loved how comfortable it was. Unlike standard pediatric hospital gowns, the Starlight Gown’s material was softer, and its button and ties also made it easier for Bella to put it on. Often, she wants to wear her regular clothes at the hospital, but it makes it harder to put on the standard hospital gown without disconnecting her line of leaving it dangling.
“I love the gown. I want to take it every time we come now, because I like the texture and it’d be easy to put on and take off. I really like the buttons and ties," said Bella.
With fun experiences Jessica, Bella’s mom, noticed a difference in Bella too. “I see that it makes her happy ... It makes the whole experience of being in the hospital better.”
“It helps a lot. We know that today, not much is changing as far as her care. When you first wake up, you think, ‘Okay, it’s just a day that much is going to happen.’ When there’s events it gives you something to look forward to. It helps the time pass.”
- Jessica, Bella's Mom
There are millions of kids at the hospital who are counting the days until they go home. Thanks to donors like you, kids have something fun and happier to look forward to as they wait.
Still, our work is not done. We need your help to ensure every child can experience happiness from a Starlight program.
Deliver happiness to hospitalized kids.
