Radio Flyer Wagons: Safe and Fun for Parker’s Hospital Stay
During Parker’s delivery at birth, he developed a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, and pneumomediastinum, a condition in which air enters the space between the lungs and chest.
As a result, Parker spent the first precious days of his life in the NICU. Once Parker was finally home, he continued to have trouble breathing, leading his parents to discover he was also born with laryngomalacia, a congenital abnormality in his airway. Because of his laryngomalacia he suffered from terrible gastroesophageal reflux and feeding difficulties.
Not only that, but Parker’s underlying laryngomalacia makes simple illnesses like the common cold much more difficult for him.
Parker Finds Comfort and Familiarity
During one of Parker’s prolonged hospital stays, they encountered a Radio Flyer Wagon with an IV pole attachment which offered Parker’s family a much-needed break. They could easily take 16-month-old Parker on walks in the courtyard at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, Kansas.
“The medically accessible wagon at Wesley Medical Center provided a sense of comfort and normalcy to my son while he was hospitalized. It also gave him the ability to be mobile and active while still being connected to necessary cardiac monitors and IV medications.”
- Gina, Parker's Mom
Because the wagon had such a positive experience on Parker’s hospital stay, his family sought to donate a wagon to their local hospital, Clara Barton Medical Center in Hoisington, Kansas, where Parker first received care. Through this, they discovered they could donate a Starlight Hero Wagon, a Radio Flyer wagon specially designed for the hospital environment with its Medical Grade Vinyl, ability to be folded and IV pole attachment. Medically accessible, these red wagons are designed to give children a safe, fun and familiar way to transport around the hospital.
Only available through Starlight, Parker’s family partnered with Heartland Dermatology to donate a Starlight Hero Wagon to the facility. Now kids at the Clara Barton Medical Center can experience the same comfort and relief that Parker’s family did.
Tara Gillespie, CEO at Heartland Dermatology, writes:
“At Heartland Dermatology, we believe in giving back to the communities we serve and supporting families during their most challenging moments. We are honored to partner with Starlight Children’s Foundation and Parker’s family to bring a Starlight Radio Flyer Hero Wagon to Clara Barton Medical Center. It’s our hope that this small gesture provides comfort, mobility, and a sense of normalcy to young patients and their families, just as it did for Parker.”
An estimated 20,000 children under the age of five are hospitalized for the flu each year. Kids under the age of five, like Parker, who live with respiratory conditions are at highest risk and most susceptible to sickness and hospitalization.
As more are hospitalized, they and their families are in vital need of a break.
Join Starlight’s community to provide relief and vital resources that accommodate the hospital environment like Starlight programs.
Give kids the freedom to explore and play in a safe and fun way.
Donate today.
