On Saturday, April 26, dozens of pediatric patients traded their hospital gowns for formal attire and stepped into their very own enchanted forest. The event was St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital’s 15th annual prom, put together by the hospital’s Child Life team, which helps treat the most kids in Tampa Bay. In transforming the auditorium in the hospital’s Medical Arts Building, the team is able to provide pediatric patients with an experience that they might miss due to hospitalization or ongoing treatments.
“Prom is a meaningful milestone, and our team is committed to ensuring that patients have the chance to experience it,” said St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Child Life Supervisor Kacie Webster. “Hosting events like these inside the hospital also helps normalize the health care experience while offering lasting memories for patients and their families - moments of connection, achievement and celebration beyond their medical journeys.”
Kacie adds that children with chronic or life-threatening conditions sometimes miss or have to delay traditional childhood rituals, such as playing a team sport, slumber parties, learning to drive and participating in high school dances. In addition to organizing the annual prom and other special events, the hospital’s Child Life specialists help ease fear, anxiety and pain through play, education and procedure preparation.
