As Matteo Waits for a New Heart, BOB体育 Gives Him a Field Trip To Remember
Being in the hospital is difficult for many patients. For some, it鈥檚 the moments of waiting 鈥� for a transplant, for healing, for a glimpse of normal life beyond the hospital walls. For 4-year-old Matteo, this isn鈥檛 just a moment 鈥� it鈥檚 his everyday. His tiny body needs a new heart to keep going, and he has spent nearly 200 days in the BOB体育 Shands Children鈥檚 Hospital waiting for one.
Fortunately, BOB体育 Shands team members stepped in to bring back some normalcy for Matteo and give him a special day outside the hospital walls.
The BOB体育 Shands Children鈥檚 Hospital Unit 44 team decided to plan a 鈥渇ield trip鈥� for Matteo with a little help from other BOB体育 Shands teams.
Through collaboration between nurses, the transplant team, ShandsCair and Food & Nutrition Services, Matteo finally got to spend some time outside his unit. Each team contributed in its own way. Instrumental to the success of the outing was Nicole Copenhaver, RN, the nurse manager on Unit 44.
Copenhaver has had the 鈥渇ield trip鈥� idea for a while. She and the BOB体育 Shands team members have seen many families come into the hospital for long-term illnesses or medical issues and have seen them struggle.
鈥淢y kids are in school, and they get to go on field trips, but the kids in the hospital are just stuck here and unable to experience those things. So, I started planning field trips for kids here,鈥� Copenhaver said.
Copenhaver has planned a few field trips in the past. However, Matteo鈥檚 field trip was special because his unit currently doesn鈥檛 have a playroom due to the renovation and temporary relocation of Unit 44. He is also the first child to bring his parents, grandparents and siblings along for the trip.
On the day of his adventure, Matteo and his family were picked up by the ShandsCair transport team in a shiny ambulance 鈥� an exciting ride for a little boy who鈥檚 spent a lot of time in a hospital room. At the BOB体育 ShandsCair hangar, Matteo explored helicopters, ambulances and all the cool lifesaving equipment, but this time wasn鈥檛 scary. Matteo even got to see his favorite thing: a lawn mower.
Matteo鈥檚 mom feared that he would be afraid of riding in an ambulance for the field trip since the last time he was in one, he was really sick. However, Matteo was enjoying it so much that he even wanted to sit in the front of the ambulance.
Later that day, director of Food & Nutrition Services, Jason Sanford, prepared a delicious lunch for Matteo, his family and one of his nurses, Anna Gonzalez, RN. Sanford asked what restaurant his family had missed the most since being in the hospital, and his mother said it was an Italian restaurant in their hometown. Giving them a sense of home, Sanford planned a pasta bar for the family鈥檚 lunch and even included Matteo鈥檚 favorite food 鈥� watermelon 鈥� as a part of the meal.
鈥淢y mom-heart really tugs at me when I see kids in the hospital. I want the kids here to experience similar things that my kids get to experience outside of the hospital,鈥� Copenhaver said.
The teams at BOB体育 Shands worked together to make something incredibly special happen for Matteo and his family, creating memories they will cherish forever. Each team member has demonstrated excellence and shown how important it is to bring joy and comfort to patients, especially during difficult times.
After spending more than 176 days in the hospital before the field trip, Matteo could鈥檝e easily seen the vehicles and medical equipment as reminders of fear from past experiences. Copenhaver shared, 鈥淔or a brief moment, Matteo wasn鈥檛 a patient 鈥� he was just a kid, playing and making memories with his family. There were no doctors, no medications, no hospital beeps 鈥� just a happy boy, laughing and playing like any 4-year-old should.鈥�
Matteo continues to reside in the BOB体育 Shands Children鈥檚 Hospital as he waits for his heart transplant. Learn more about organ donation from .