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Shaylee Crosson's going home party was fit for a princess - Cinderella to be exact.Recently I walked into a hospital break room to find a sea of pink presents, banners, a strawberry cake and in the center of it all, a miniature princess taking it in. The 3-year-old stood tall in plastic heels, dressed up like her favorite Disney character.
But lately Shaylee's life has been anything but a fairytale. She was brutally attacked by a pit bull while riding her bike and spent two months undergoing lengthy procedures and intense physical therapy. To keep her spirits strong, visitors of all kinds encouraged her throughout the stay. And her party was no different.
Miss America 2009, Katie Stam, happened to drop by the hospital that day and we couldn't have timed it more perfectly. The two compared crowns and became fast friends.
Watch Shaylee meet Miss America...
After Stam left, Shaylee doled out hugs to her caregivers. While in the hospital, she saw a wide range of specialists including the trauma team, opthalmologists, neurologists, infectious disease specialists, orthopedists and physical therapists. Child life specialists and even a play therapist that helps kids resolve trauma created a special bond with Shaylee. They rotated overnight shifts to help her resolve recurring nightmares.
"Shaylee is very strong," said Kristin Fuhrmann, LPC, registered play therapist. "Even after her accident, Shaylee showed her love for animals by nurturing and caring for stuffed animals during our play sessions."
In the midst of all the celebrating, Shaylee's parents are relieved that, even though she continues on the road to recovery, the sparkle in their daughter's eyes is back.
"This experience hasn't broken her spirit," said Laci, Shaylee's mom. "She's still happy-go-lucky and can light up a room in an instant."
After her goodbyes, the little princess headed home with a sweet ending to her hospital stay.
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5 comments:
Good stuff! So glad that Children's gets to share a few of the MANY great stories that happen here every day.
I will never be able to express what childrens has done for my family,we all met such wonderful caring people staff and otherwise. After living there 2 months we had friends not nurses it was so hard to leave but we were so ready for it to be over>>>one more step into or journey.So from Shaylee Bug and the rest of the Crosson family I once again will say Thank you more than you will ever know.
o and btw< we still have days she cries to go to the playrooms and ride across the bridges....lol
What a sweet story. It's wonderful that Children's helped Shaylee work on the emotional trauma of her accident as well as the physical.
Thanks for your kind words, Laci! At the going home party, I kept hearing Shaylee's caregivers say how much they were going to miss her. What a privilege it was for our team to care for your sweet child.
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