Eyes that see the good in things- May 6, 2019

Six-year-old Logan drove himself to the operating room in a shiny red sports car. The young Pennsylvania boy was undergoing surgery for the second time to help repair a birth defect that had left him with a permanent soft spot in his skull. Logan and his parents were understandably anxious at the thought of him undergoing the surgery again.

So, according to a report by “Inside Edition,” the medical staff at Wellspan York Hospital in Pennsylvania surprised the young boy on the day of his surgery with a delivery of a miniature red convertible sports car to his room.

“He just saw that car and it was kind of like all his worries and fears were over,” Logan’s mom, Tiffany, told “Inside Edition.” “It was bright red. It had like blue lights. It had a control panel. It played music, and he’s just like... everything else was done for.”

Behind the wheel of the tiny electric car, Logan zoomed down the medical center’s hallways and drove himself to the doors of his surgical unit. Logan had been born with a defect in his skull that caused part of it to be nearly transparent. “The bone was so thin, that if you were to actually shine a flashlight,” his mom said, “you could see into the brain.”

Logan’s parents had hoped that as he got older, the spot would eventually get smaller or heal over. But that didn’t happen. The boy had to be extra careful when playing with other children or participating in sports. Contact sports were forbidden, but he has played T-ball with a helmet.

When the boy started complaining about pain in his head, his parents decided to seek more treatment. When the first surgery didn’t solve the problem, doctors decided to try again.

Logan is now home following his surgery and is recovering from his operation. His mom said he is sleeping a lot, which is normal following brain surgery. He can’t play with his friends or attend school right now, but she said he is looking forward to going back to school. And he has asked for his own shiny red Jeep.

More children than ever before are getting this experience as more and more pediatric hospitals are making additions of fleets of little cars to their surgical program. Just last year, Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, Calif. Introduced the program to their patients with a little black Mercedes. They recently added a new Volkswagen Beetle. The program is designed to take the hospital’s smallest patients to the operating room, reduce anxiety and stress and make the experience less scary for the children and for their parents.

The one-seater cars, made just for kids, are both fully equipped with a stereo, preloaded music and an MP3 player. They can be operated by remote control or by the kids themselves. The cars have working headlights, back-up lights and dash lights. The doors open, they have a safety belt and a horn.

Getting the cars at the hospital in Modesto was an idea brought forth by pre-op nurse Kimberly Martinez, RN. She did some research and found the benefits of these cars having a lasting impact on young patients.

“When the children find out they can go into the operating room riding in a cool little car, they light up, and in most cases, their fears melt away,” Martinez said. “It can be traumatizing for a young patient to be peeled away from their parents as they head into surgery. This helps both the patient and their parents.”

It was that kind of desire to take some of the stress out of the surgical experience that inspired the same kind of innovative approach to care at a Shriner Hospital. The kind of care that comes in the form of electric cars that kids can drive to surgery. The toy cars are just like those that can be purchased off the shelf at a big box retailer but the Shriners Hospital says that when a patient sits behind the wheel, they become vehicles of change.

“The cars give kids a sense of control and independence,” said child life specialist Caitlin French, who worked with her child life colleagues and the operating room team to research the use of the cars. “Recent studies support the use of ride-on vehicles to help reduce a patient’s anxiety during the transition into the operating room,” she said.

Sundeep Tumber, D.O., chief of anesthesia at the Shriners Hospital, says the cars also result in a decreased use of medication before surgery, which can speed the recovery process.

“We are seeing that the cars are beneficial to both patients and parents,” said Dr. Tumber.

“Kids driving to surgery are able to separate from their parents in a fun way. And, parents are able to say goodbye to a smiling child, instead of having to wipe away their tears.”

“My most memorable experience was with my first patient who got to drive,” said Dr. Tumber. “Both the mother and child were anxious about the surgery. Mom was in tears. But when the child drove away, the smile on her face could light up the room.”

The kids at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, Calif., have enough stress when it comes to operations and procedures, so the staff came up with an innovative way to help the kids relax.

The patients there are riding to the operation room in style thanks to donations from law enforcement in San Diego. Kids could originally choose between a battery-powered BMW, Mercedes or Lamborghini. Now, they also have a little Cadillac as an option.

Since they started the program, doctors have noticed the positive effect it has had on the patients. Kids and parents are not only more relaxed, but they are actually asking about the cars before the patient even gets registered for surgery.

The program makes the surgeon’s jobs easier, too; it puts their minds at ease to know the kids are happier and having fun. Dr. Carvalho is pleased with the success of the program, and most of all, she is glad to know they are now creating good memories for the patients.

We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.

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