Stollery support to say goodbye
The Aid for Symptoms & Serious Illness Support Team (ASSIST) at the Stollery Children’s Hospital provides pediatric palliative care for the whole family — so they can focus on what’s important.
Beau was born July 1, 2022, when he suffered multiple brain bleeds and was eventually diagnosed with hydrocephalous. After five weeks of fighting, Beau passed away on August 9, 2022, surrounded by his family. From his diagnosis to his last day earth side, the ASSIST and Child Life teams were there for his family because not every Stollery story has a happy ending – and no kid comes to the Hospital alone.
But the care didn’t stop there. Through play-based therapy with ASSIST and Child Life, Beau’s older brother, Gage, was able to re-identify his feelings, describe his emotions and use dinosaurs to talk about real-world issues. His family is incredibly grateful for the care they received as they know it’s what helped Gage grieve the loss of his baby brother.
The ASSIST team at the Stollery provides palliative care not just for kids, but the whole family. The team of doctors, nurses, psychologists and grief counsellor helps families understand what to expect, make goals and decisions to keep them comfortable. They provide care for kids of all ages, including those not yet born but diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.
The team’s main goal is making sure there’s no pain, suffering or distress for kids and their families, regardless of the diagnosis. The focus is on living life to the fullest, managing symptoms so that kids and families can focus on what’s important and feeling as well as possible, both physically and mentally.
The team works closely with the kid’s health-care team, in the setting of their choice: in hospital, clinics or in their homes.
Programs at the Stollery like ASSIST are important to families whose Stollery journey looks different than most.
With health care professionals who specialize in palliative care, families at the Stollery can have the full support they deserve even during the most challenging of times.
