Little Wishes Works Wonders to
Chase Away Little Patients' Pain
Photo: Francis da Silva
Laura Euphrat (left), President and founder of the
Little Wishes Foundation, and Eve Alley,
coordinator for UCSF Little Wishes, navigate the corridors of
UCSF Children's Hospital to get to Audrey Serrato's room.
By Jonathan Farrell
An extended stay in the hospital can be a stressful
time for anyone, especially a child.
The nurses at the California Pacific Medical Center
understand this. That is why they recently expanded their Little
Wishes program to the Children's Hospital at UCSF Medical Center
in the Sunset District.
On Sept. 14 Mayor Gavin Newsom officially inaugurated
the program at UCSF during a ceremony that included community leaders
and sponsors. Newsom said he was delighted to deliver gifts to patients
so as to have their "wishes" fulfilled.
The idea for the Little Wishes program emerged in
November of 2002 when nurses Laura Euphrat and Joanne Davantes,
working at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at CPMC on California
Street, wanted to comfort a terminally ill child.
His name was Josh Stathopoulos-Twitty and he had been
diagnosed with cancer. Because his stay at the hospital was long
and painful, the nurses wanted to do more than just administer medicine
and tests.
"It was hard to watch, we wanted to do something,"
said Davantes after observing their eight-year-old patient in severe
pain with his parents in heartache at his bedside.
Being a nurse in any capacity is very demanding -
there is little time to visit or provide extra support, yet Davantes
and Euphrat knew they had to do something more.
Josh was a San Francisco Giants fan and he wanted
very much to meet one of the players, but when the nurses inquired
to find an available player, the team was too busy because it was
during the World Series.
"I called my friend Michelle for advice,"
Euphrat said.
Michelle had just finished talking to SF Giants' baseball
manager Dusty Baker only moments before Euphrat called. Without
hesitation, Schmitt called Baker back on his cell phone and within
minutes he was on his way to visit with Josh.
This is how Little Wishes got started.
"I'd like to see this program in every hospital,"
said Josh's mother, Allison Twitty.
"We were in the city from outside the area. Things
like this were such a comfort - more than words can say," Twitty
said.
Twitty, who now serves on the Little Wishes board
of directors, is surprised at the growth of the program.
"The response has been awesome since September,"
said Eve Alley, who as child life specialist coordinates the program
at UCSF.
Alley said the Little Wishes program gives patients
choices when they are in a difficult situation.
"Children find it very hard to be in the hospital
- they do not fully understand all procedures and are often angry
at being told what to do, like take medicine," Alley said.
Little Wishes can be simple things requested, like
a toy, a set of crayons or to have a party.
Alley sees the program as beneficial, not only for
the patients and their families, but to nurses and staff as well.
"It gives nurses and staff an important opportunity
to show how much they care," Alley said.
Twitty hopes the Little Wishes program goes nationwide.
"Why didn't we think of it earlier?" was
the sentiment of UCSF nurse Havilyn Kern-Mount when reflecting on
the growth of the Little Wishes program.
Individuals interested in donating or volunteering
for Little Wishes can visit the group's website, located on the
Internet at www.littlewishes.org.
