The slide

Here at the IWK there are many staff and volunteers that go out of their way to ensure that every child is having the best experience possible while in hospital. In the summer, the playgarden is open and staffed most days with many activities available for kids. Last week, Donovan and I were in the playgarden (Donovan had a great time painting and playing hide and seek). Malcolm was unable to leave the floor as he was hooked up to the IV pole so his grandparents were entertaining him in the playroom. I saw a small slide in the playgarden and immediately thought how great that would be for Malcolm as he loves to climb and there is nothing for him to climb when confined on the sixth floor. I mentioned this to one of the staff in the playgarden and asked if they knew if there was another similar slide around that he could borrow...

A couple of hours later, the same slide I saw outside was delivered, newly cleaned, to his room for Malcolm to enjoy as long as he needs it.

Malcolm loves playing on his slide (shown in a photo in one of my previous posts). He can climb to the top and swing one leg over and just needs a bit of help to get the other leg positioned under him. He loves it and I am happy that he can continue to get good exercise so he does not lose valuable muscle tone which takes so long build up. We are very grateful for all of the wonderful ways in which they help patients and their families cope while in hospital...

Mary Ellen