Lungs, Dogs, and Cameron's Starlight Anatomy Gown

Thanks to Cameron, his dogs are now lung experts, he made sure of it.

The five-year-old has taken it upon himself to give them regular lessons – his Anatomy-themed Starlight Adaptive Hospital Gown in hand, pointing to his lungs and heart the way his food therapist does with him. His dogs are patient students. Cameron is a thorough teacher.

For Cameron, was born with a laryngeal cleft, a condition where there’s an opening between his voice box and esophagus, meaning foods and liquids can enter his lungs.

Every meal carries risk. Every swallow requires thought.

For most kids, eating is automatic. For Cameron, it is something he has had to learn, carefully, with help.

As part of his treatment, he meets with a feeding therapist to discuss safe eating. In their sessions, his therapist often draws out his neck and lungs. So, when he received an Anatomy-themed Starlight Adaptive Gown, he instantly recognized something familiar in its design.

“It’s my lungs!” Cameron said, pointing at them before anyone said a word.

He loves that he can see his lungs on the gown. He wears it at home, and when he’s not wearing it, it sits beside him while he eats. During mealtime, his mom Alexis says, “he’ll point out his lungs, which is insanely cute and funny at the same time.”

He doesn’t want the fun to end. So, he tracks down the dogs.

Post-mealtime, he finds them, gown in tow, and teaches them about their own lungs, too.

The gown gave Cameron something no clinical tool could: the feeling that his body is something worth knowing and understanding.

Cameron will continue to go to food therapy. As he continues to use his gown, he’ll keep playing, learning and teaching about his body.

That’s what Starlight programs make possible – a chance to learn in a fun and playful way. Tools to help children understand their bodies like the Anatomy-themed Starlight Adaptive Gown help kids speak up when something doesn’t feel right because they can name symptoms and changes.

Cameron’s story is one of the three million made possible by community donors each year.

Thanks to caring supporters like you, kids like Cameron don't just learn to live with their conditions – they become experts on themselves.

But the dogs are still catching up.