Child Life Specialist Essay

Children who are placed in the hospital for long periods of time often struggle with stress and anxiety (Public Relations Staff). I myself, have witnessed the anxiety that often comes with being placed in the hospital for not just the child but for parents and siblings as well. A mother by the name of Jodi Gurka, whose five year old daughter Lexie began treatment for lymphoma two years before said that she has had many experiences being in the hospital, but by far the best experience was when Lexie was able to have a Child Life Specialist by her side. Gurka says “She walked with us, hugged us, cried with us, emailed us - overall, just held our hand during this journey nobody wants to walk” (Hornbeck). This quote shows a big reason why a Child

As I was walking through the hospital while visiting my cousin you could hear parents crying, see them hugging, and watch the interactions that Child Life Specialists had with the parents and their families. A mother of a boy named Owen O’hara who was diagnosed with leukemia at a young age said “Child life specialists have made a huge difference in helping Owen understand what is happening to him, often explaining difficult medical concepts in child-friendly words” (Gold). A Child Life Specialist walked with Owen and his family throughout his whole stay in the hospital, and his mother says she is thankful for having them work at the hospital. Kelly Schraf says that her favorite part of the job is knowing that she has made a difference in someones life. She does not like seeing parents and children so stressed out in a situation that no one wants to go through in their life time. Being able to help these families get through this tough time and make their hospital stay better is the best part of her job. Lastly, Shawna Grissom said “You can see the hopefulness and willingness of children to continue to fight, to take medications, to do the treatments, and to do the things they need to do to get better”