SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN
Wistaria members contacted Shriners Hospital to find out what items were most needed for the comfort and entertainment of their patients. They informed us that lots of items come in for primary school-aged children; however, infants and teens are often overlooked. In light of that information and in direct response to several specific requests, we set about raising designated funds and began shopping for lovey blankets for infants and sketch pads, colored pencils, drawing instruction books, expert-level dot-to-dot books, cards, dice, Yahtzee score pads, games, nail polish and emery boards for teens.
When our collection for 25 infants and 100 teens was complete, we planned our delivery to coincide with a tour of their hospital's community. As we walked through their Sacramento facility we were AMAZED at the quality of care provided to so many children daily, the state-of-the-art medical equipment on-site, the thoughtfulness that goes into the individual needs of so many children, and the beneficial results their efforts achieve.
Weekdays 150 children receive ongoing medical care and rehabilitation as outpatients, and approximately 20-30 children are inpatients at the hospital. We visited their Motion Analysis Lab, playground, onsite school, rehabilitation sample apartment, and Prosthetics Orthopedic Lab. Throughout the tour we passed children in the common areas ... one whizzed past us on a specially fitted tricycle that accommodated his prosthetic leg.
Our guides were careful to respect the privacy of children receiving hands-on care, so we did not see the medical devices being used; however, we did see a low dosage x-ray machine that allows patients with spinal injuries to stand during its exam to better see how their body mechanics are being affected.
This humbling experience reminded each of us how very blessed we are in our lives. How wonderful to be a part of this extended Masonic family!
