Autumn 2012 - Shodair Children's Hospital
Autumn 2012 - Shodair Children's Hospital
Autumn 2012 - Shodair Children's Hospital
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
A Christmas<br />
Away<br />
from<br />
HOME<br />
By Cory J. Alexander, MD<br />
Child/Adolescent Psychiatrist<br />
<strong>Shodair</strong> Children’s <strong>Hospital</strong><br />
Last Christmas was a very unique<br />
experience for me here at <strong>Shodair</strong> Children’s <strong>Hospital</strong>.<br />
I’ve worked at many other psychiatric facilities, but I<br />
had never seen such dedication, creativity, and<br />
enthusiasm on the part of the staff as I saw at <strong>Shodair</strong><br />
during the holidays. Such a challenge making sure<br />
there are gifts for all! And such a variety of patients:<br />
Those on our acute care unit, who may be admitted<br />
on Christmas Eve with little time for preparation, and<br />
those on our residential treatment units, who<br />
frequently are in State custody and may really be the<br />
“orphans” of today’s times. No families, no passes<br />
home—just the staff to make the day special.<br />
I watched in awe as one of the hospital’s<br />
conference rooms became Santa’s workshop, full of<br />
presents for children of all ages and staff from every<br />
level taking time to carefully wrap each gift. I recall<br />
that special feeling I got when I needed a break from<br />
my paperwork and I decided to do some “wrapping<br />
time.” I recognized the names of two teenage<br />
girls who would be receiving the woolly hats and<br />
socks I wrapped, and knew one of them would see no<br />
family over the holiday. Trained as I am to detach, I<br />
still got that feeling in the pit of my stomach and said a<br />
little prayer for her…and tied several extra bows and<br />
curled the ribbon, trying to make the present stand out.<br />
This year, Christmas will be another unique experience<br />
for me. It’s my turn to be on call Christmas Day. Yes,<br />
I know the children receiving treatment at <strong>Shodair</strong><br />
during the holidays are unique in many ways. Most<br />
families and children want to be home over Christmas.<br />
If children are in treatment at <strong>Shodair</strong>, they are the<br />
neediest of all. So I prepare myself to do what I can to<br />
make their holiday special.<br />
This holiday season, if you’re fortunate enough to have<br />
what you need, why not consider a gift that will help<br />
children like Sara and the many others we treat here at<br />
<strong>Shodair</strong> Children’s <strong>Hospital</strong>? Your unrestricted holiday<br />
gift will help provide us with<br />
the resources to make this a<br />
memorable and healing season<br />
for all our patients.<br />
In gratitude,<br />
2<br />
Cory J. Alexander, MD<br />
Reunion
Change language