Their "Teddy Bear Care" Brings Smiles to Young People

William Bottiger carried his 2-year old son into the radiation oncology department, the young boy’s face buried in his dad’s shoulder. The little guy peered around and saw strange faces and machines. But Lori Baycar, R.N., Roxann Frey, technical partner, Sandy Frey, R.N., Joan Gehris, R.N., and Mary Lenahan-Durnin, R.N., of radiation oncology at the John and Dorothy Morgan Cancer Center, Lehigh Valley Hospital--Cedar Crest, made his experience as comforting as possible.

They treated his teddy bear with the techniques he would undergo, so he wouldn’t be scared. They worked through lunch hours and provided toys for him, like a stuffed elephant twice his size. When he was on the stretcher, they made him feel like he was in a truck by making motorized sounds. To divert his attention from medical tests, they obtained a TV and VCR so he could watch “Sesame Street” videos. They even turned the trash can into the Sesame Street character Oscar.

“The staff took an extraordinary interest in my son,” Bottiger says. “They went the extra mile to ensure that the preparations, treatments and aftermath didn’t traumatize a scared little boy.”

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