B.C. dad credits ‘child life specialists’ for reducing trauma of son’s cancer treatment

A Vancouver Island dad is praising a group of health-care professionals for protecting his child from some of the trauma associated with cancer.

A Vancouver Island father is praising a group of health-care professionals for protecting his child from some of the trauma tied to a cancer diagnosis.

Four-year-old Eli Lewis was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia in December. Since then, he has endured chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant.

“Eli kind of saw the hospital as the thing that was causing him harm, which we all know wasn’t true,” said his father, James Lewis.

The Lewis family lives in Black Creek near Campbell River. They’ve spent the past 162 days at B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, where Lewis estimates they’ve encountered more than 100 health-care professionals.

Eli is quite taken with one group of hospital workers in particular.

“Even on those days where Eli was really sick in bed and unable to move, having the child life specialist come in and make a baking soda volcano — that would boost his spirits,” Lewis said.

B.C. Children’s Hospital employs dozens of child life specialists, who help sick kids cope with the stress of hospitalization. They play with young patients and explain complex medical procedures in child friendly ways.

“It is … a relatively newer field,” said B.C. Children’s Hospital child life specialist Ashley Tolerton.

“With that awareness, hopefully, will come the opportunity for there to be more child life specialists within more hospitals across B.C. to better support our patients and families in their local communities.”

Child life specialists are clinically trained. They must get certified and complete a 600-hour internship after obtaining a bachelor’s degree, Tolerton said.

‘I’d love to play!’

The team talked Eli through his fear of anesthetic, Lewis said

“He would talk about how he didn’t like the darkness,” Lewis said. “Having professionals around to help Eli … come to terms with this and talk about fears and being able to approach him in a constructive manner was really, really nice.”

They also helped Eli get comfortable with a port that was put in his chest to administer medication.

“He really had body image issues after that. He didn’t like anybody looking at it,” Lewis said. “They had dolls where they could show Eli and myself and Eli’s mom what this is, how the port goes in, how it works, and how it looks.”

As the family prepares to leave the hospital on Friday, Tolerton remembers how fearful Eli was when he first got there.

“Now we’re at the point where Eli comes and knocks on my door and he peeks his head in … and he goes, ‘Ashley?’ And he’s like, ‘I’d love to play!’” she said.

Lewis expects his son to make a full recovery. He knows Eli isn’t leaving mentally or physically unscathed, but credits the child life team for limiting the hurt his child will carry.

“It really did help us through this to the point where Eli, he’s probably going to walk out of the hospital tomorrow and he has nothing but good things to say,” Lewis said.

He hopes donors continue to support the program, so more children can experience the care Eli received.