Star Light....Star Bright.....

I remember one of the first people we met in the PICU when we were moved to Cincinnati Children's Hospital was a Child Life Specialist. She brought a special laser light machine to Ethan's room which projected small "stars" that moved ever so slowly across the ceiling.

She told us to hang onto the twilight machine as it was one of only a few they had in the entire hospital. At first it was a very cool effect for us and other visitors, as Ethan's eyes were still closed. Later, it seemed as if he was tracking the stars across the ceiling. At one point, the lamp burned out and we put the machine aside for a couple of weeks. We honestly forgot about it as each day brought its new challenges. Then one day we were brought a new one and it was evident how strong Ethan had connected to it; his gaze immediately went to the ceiling and he started "looking" once again at the lights. This was phenomenal! A couple of months before Ethan's discharge (the first time) we thought about reaching out to the company that sold the units and sharing the story of how their product had impacted Ethan's progress. A fabulous member of Team Ethan took it upon herself to draft and send a letter, and with great results. Before we knew it, we received a shipment of SIX laser twilight machines from the Can You Imagine Company(cyi.net)—one for our house to have when Ethan was discharged, and five to donate to the hospital!

It was a tearful moment when we presented the units to two of the fabulous Child Life Specialists who had worked with our family over the five months we were in the hospital. We knew the impact the star machine had made on Ethan and our family and we were excited to share that joy with other children and families during their stay at the hospital. We are ever grateful to this special company for their generous gift.  

~ Alexia & Scott